DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the request for local growth funding by the Coast to Capital LEP; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: All 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships' Growth Deals are currently being assessed, including requests for local growth funding, and we are looking to make announcements in the summer.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Office who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Office who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), today.

Electoral Register

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what support his Department makes available to encourage electoral registration for those who are not able to register online.

Greg Clark: People can continue to apply to register to vote on a paper form, available from their local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
	EROs are encouraged to provide assistance for electors through both face-to-face contact and telephone communication, irrespective of the format of registration.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consideration his Office gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), today.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Leader of the House what visits each of the Ministers in his Office have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Andrew Lansley: In February 2013, I visited the Scottish Parliament to examine parliamentary procedures and practices.
	In May 2013, the Deputy Leader of the House and I undertook an overseas visit to the European institutions in Brussels. This visit provided an opportunity to consider and promote the role of national parliaments, including the House of Commons, in the processes of European legislation.
	In December 2013, the Deputy Leader of the House visited Northern Ireland to engage with various Northern Irish charities and campaign groups on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.
	In February 2014, I and the Deputy Leader of the House visited the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff to examine parliamentary procedures and the work of the Petitions Committee.

PRIME MINISTER

G7

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons the G7 Summit Declaration does not mention Iraq; what discussions took place at that summit on (a) the rise of al Qaeda-linked organisations in western and northern Iraq and (b) other issues relating to Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to my oral statement on the G7 on 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 549.

Ministers: Conduct

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many members of staff of his Office worked on the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism;
	(2)  what interviews were conducted as part of the Cabinet Secretary's review of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism;
	(3)  if he will publish the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism;
	(4)  whether the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests was consulted as part of the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism;
	(5)  if he will publish in full the scope of the Cabinet Secretary's review of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

David Cameron: The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal: Nottinghamshire

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to secure the future of coal mining at Thoresby Colliery in Nottinghamshire.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made as Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on 12 June 2014.
	As stated, I will continue to keep the House updated.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many hon. Members wrote to his Department on behalf of constituents about (a) steps taken to alleviate fuel poverty in the private rented sector, (b) the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (c) the disconnection of (i) gas and (ii) electricity supplies in the last 12 months; what the average time taken to reply was; if he will place in the Library a copy of each such reply; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: For the purpose of answering this question, various searches of the departmental correspondence system have been conducted. In relation to fuel poverty in the private rented sector, it has been possible to search the records on correspondence received by DECC from hon. Members with the case title ‘Fuel Poverty’. In the period since 10 June 2013, 13 pieces of correspondence were given this case title. On sifting through these individually, none specifically mentioned fuel poverty in the private rented sector. The average time taken to reply was 21 working days.
	In relation to the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, it has been possible to search the records on correspondence received by DECC from hon. Members with the case title ‘Warm Homes’. In the period since 10 June 2013, 13 pieces of correspondence were given this case title. On sifting through these individually, none specifically mentioned the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. The average time taken to reply was 13 working days.
	An initial search of the correspondence system relating to ‘disconnections’ of electricity and/or gas has not yielded reliable results. A more detailed subject search would involve significant manual sifting of individual correspondence items and thus entail a disproportionate cost.
	Copies of the relevant correspondence will be placed in the Library of the House.
	DECC does not log telephone representations centrally, and therefore providing a response on the number of telephone representations to the Department on these subjects would also entail disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) written, (b) email and (c) telephone representations he has received on (i) his plans to alleviate fuel poverty in the private rented sector, (ii) the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (iii) the disconnection of (A) gas and (B) electricity supplies in each month since May 2010; how many such representations were from (1) individuals and (2) organisations; if he will place in the Library copies of the responses sent to such representations; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: For the purpose of answering this question, various searches of the departmental correspondence system have been conducted. In relation to fuel poverty in the private rented sector, it has been possible to search the records on correspondence received by DECC with the case title “Fuel Poverty”. In the period since May 2010, 657 pieces of correspondence were given this case title. 264 of these were from individuals, and 77 were from organisations (the remaining items were either from hon. Members, or cases transferred from other Departments). Filtering down more specifically would involve significant manual sifting of individual correspondence items and thus entail a disproportionate cost.
	In relation to the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, it has been possible to search the records on correspondence received by DECC with the case title “Warm Homes”. In the period since May 2010, 176 pieces of correspondence were given this case title. 33 of these were from individuals and 11 were from organisations (the remaining items were either from hon. Members, or cases transferred from other Departments). Filtering down more specifically would involve significant manual sifting of individual correspondence items and thus entail a disproportionate cost.
	An initial search of the correspondence system relating to “disconnections” of electricity and/or gas has not yielded reliable results. A more detailed subject search would involve significant manual sifting of individual correspondence items and thus entail a disproportionate cost.
	DECC does not log telephone representations centrally, and therefore providing a response on the number of telephone representations to the Department on these subjects would also entail disproportionate cost.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Gregory Barker: From November 2010 a single team was established to control the process for all formal disciplinary proceedings being undertaken against civil servants in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Therefore, central records exist only from that date.
	The proportion of civil servants in DECC who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings since November 2010 to date and who are white British is less than 1% of the total number of civil servants in each year.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Gregory Barker: From November 2010 a single team was established to control the process for all formal disciplinary proceedings being undertaken against civil servants in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Therefore, central records exist only from that date.
	The proportion of civil servants in DECC who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings since November 2010 to date and who are white British is less than 1% of the total number of civil servants in each year.

Energy: Prices

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate (a) the number of households which were on social tariffs for their energy supplies before such tariffs were withdrawn and (b) the number of those households which included people considered especially vulnerable to cold-related illnesses.

Gregory Barker: It is estimated that 1 million households were on social or discounted tariffs in the final year (up to 31 March 2011) before the voluntary tariffs were replaced by the Warm Home Discount scheme (Source: Ofgem's Monitoring Suppliers' Social Programme 2010-2011 Report). The Department does not hold information on those households which included people considered especially vulnerable to cold-related illnesses.

Energy: Profits

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average profit made by energy companies on the energy bills of households in each constituency in the UK.

Michael Fallon: Data on the average profit made by energy companies at the level of households in each constituency are not available.
	The average pre-tax profit made per household consumer in 2012 was £53 or 4.3%. (Source: “Making the Profits of the six largest energy suppliers clear” factsheet, Ofgem). Ofgem also estimates pre-tax margins over the next 12 months using current data in its Supply Market Indicator. Its latest estimate of pre-tax margins for May 2014 to April 2015 was £96 or 7% (Source: Understanding energy bills, Ofgem).

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Gregory Barker: The Department currently works towards meeting the diversity representation targets set by the Cabinet Office for Senior Civil Servants. Our current rates against those targets are:
	
		
			  Percentage Target (percentage) 
			 Females in SCS 34 39 
			 Females at PB2 or above 21 34 
			 Disability 3 5 
			 Ethnicity 1 5

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change considers diversity during the procurement or grant allocation process by including diversity within evaluation criteria when appropriate. Diversity is included when it is particularly relevant to the business requirements and circumstances of an individual procurement or grant. In addition, the Department’s standard terms and conditions of contract include specific clauses that cover equality and non-discrimination. The Department also promotes non-discrimination through open procurement procedures and we have removed barriers to supplier entry as part of our efforts to improve engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises. Our contractors are required to abide by the DECC Equality Scheme, details of which can be found through the following link.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47894/359-decc-equality-diversity-strategy-condoc.pdf

Fracking: USA

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had any discussions with his counterpart in the United States Department of Energy as to any change in the estimated levels of recoverable shale gas reserves which has occurred in the US since fracking began; what effect, if any, this might have on potential fracking in the UK; and how the emerging lessons of shale gas extraction in the US and elsewhere are applied in calculating and updating estimates of recoverable reserves in the UK.

Michael Fallon: Ministers in the Department meet their ministerial counterparts from the Department of Energy in the United States of America on a number of occasions and have wide-ranging discussions.
	All meetings between external organisations and Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website and are available for download at this link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
	As has been the case with successive Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of changes to the time taken to review applications for deaf people during the three month suspension of the 30-hour rule in the Access to Work grant.

Michael Penning: The 30-hour guidance will not be applied to new applicants during this suspension. Existing customers whose support has been changed as a result of the guidance can request a full review of their situation.

Access to Work Programme

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment he made before introducing the 30-hour rule in the criteria for the Access to Work grant; and what impact assessment is now being made.

Michael Penning: Once the Access to Work review is completed, a full impact assessment will be conducted.

Access to Work Programme

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support will be available for deaf people whose support was reduced as a result of the 30- hour rule in the Access to Work grant.

Michael Penning: Customers can request a full review of their Access to Work claim at any time.

Child Support

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to expand the PAYE reporting in real time to Child Support Agency claims.

Steve Webb: Since 25 November 2013, all new applications for child maintenance are made to the 2012 scheme, which is run by the Child Maintenance Service. The Child Support Agency (CSA), which administers the 1993 and 2003 schemes, is now closed to new applications and there are plans in place to gradually end liabilities on these schemes over a three-year period starting this summer.
	Unlike 1993 and 2003 scheme cases, 2012 scheme maintenance calculations are based on historic data supplied by interfaces with HMRC and Jobcentre Plus IT systems. In the vast majority of applications these interfaces return information to allow a calculation to be made. This is reviewed on an annual basis or where there are in-year changes of at least a 25% change in the level of income. This simplified approach provides parents with greater certainty over the level of maintenance payable. In instances where HMRC information is not available, our process involves gathering current income information from the paying parent or employer. It is for these 2012 scheme cases that we are currently exploring opportunities to access and use real-time earnings information.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the revised plans for the roll-out of universal credit announced on 5 December 2013, what estimate he has made of the number of families which will be eligible for support for childcare through universal credit in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18 and (d) 2018-19.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), to the hon. Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 174W.

Children: Poverty

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reforms since May 2010 on levels of child poverty.

Esther McVey: The Government have not made an assessment of the effect of welfare reforms on levels on child poverty. Given the large number of reforms and variables involved, the impact of welfare changes cannot be seen in isolation.
	However, the guiding principles of all of this Government’s welfare reforms are to get more people into work by making work pay.
	A key component of the welfare reform is universal credit. Universal credit is expected to improve work incentives by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work, and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings.
	We estimate this new reform will lift around 300,000 children out of poverty.

Children: Poverty

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children in poverty in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each year until 2020.

Esther McVey: The Government do not produce forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty either locally or nationally. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
	The Government do not believe it is possible to accurately project child poverty to 2020. Poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, IFS projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010-11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants in the employment and support allowance work related activity group are currently on the Work programme; and how many such claimants had the period before they were fit for work assessed as (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to 12 months and (d) over 12 months;
	(2)  how many claimants of employment and support allowance referred to the Work programme since June 2011 had an estimated period before they were fit for work of (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to 12 months and (d) over 12 months.

Esther McVey: The information we have in respect of both referrals and attachments, by prognosis group, are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of Work programme referrals and attachments by ESA prognosis customer groups, Great Britain, 1 June 2011 to 31 December 2013 
			 ESA prognosis customer group Referrals Attachments 
			 All ESA WRAG 242,510 234,210 
			 ESA (c) WRAG Mandatory 10,470 9,990 
			 ESA (c) WRAG Voluntary 1,060 1,040 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12Mth Mandatory 37,370 35,560 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12Mth Voluntary 1,970 1,900 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Existing 5,470 5,230 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6 Mth Mandatory 98,290 96,100 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6 Mth Voluntary 750 730 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6 Mth Mandatory ExIB 23,230 22,590 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6 Mth Voluntary ExIB 210 210 
			 ESA Mandatory (IR) WRAG 12m 42,710 40,840 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12m Mandatory EXIB 20,980 20,040 
			 ESA Credit Only 230 210 
			 ESA (IR) Support Group 360 350 
			 ESA (c) Support Group 100 100 
			 ESA (IR) Support Group ExIB 100 100 
			 ESA (c) Support Group ExIB 100 90

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answers of 1 April 2014, Official Report, column 603W, column 604W and column 605W on employment and support allowance, how many people who have been given a prognosis that (a) a return to work could be considered within two years and (b) return to work is unlikely in the longer term have been placed in the work-related activity group since October 2008.

Michael Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Outcomes of functional assessments by prognosis for the ESA work-related activity group, Great Britain: October 2008 to September 2013 
			  WRAG: Claimants with a prognosis of: 
			  Under two years Two years or more 
			 New Claims—Initial assessment 451,800 11,800 
		
	
	
		
			 New Claims—Repeat assessment 385,800 19,700 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available. 3. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. They relate to new and repeat ESA claims. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full-scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. Source: Data in the table above are derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Employment Schemes

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the freedom of information request made by Frank Zola to his Department on 28 April 2014, on community work placements, when his Department plans to publish the names of the 70 placement providers under the Help to Work scheme; how many current placement providers there are; if he will publish the names of all such organisations providing such placements under the Help to Work scheme in (a) Brighton and Hove local authority area and (b) in the UK; and if he will publish job descriptions for those placements (i) provided to date and (ii) planned to be provided.

Esther McVey: The Department can confirm that it holds the names of the 70 subcontractors under the Help to Work scheme as referenced in the freedom of information request made by Frank Zola. However, the Department cannot disclose their names as the information is intended for publication at a future date.
	In terms of names of organisations that are work placement hosts, the Department wishes not to disclose the information as we believe that the public balance weighs in favour of withholding the information.

Housing Benefit

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many local authorities in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned unused discretionary housing payment to his Department in 2013-14.

Steve Webb: The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of discretionary housing payments (DHP) in 2013-14.

Housing Benefit: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the London borough of Brent are affected by the household benefit cap; what the composition of the households is; and what the length of time and amount capped by the household benefit cap is.

Esther McVey: The following information on the number of households capped (latest data March 2014) is available by local authority at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-march-2014
	Data are available on number of households capped (current and cumulative), amount capped, number of dependents and household type.
	Details on length of time capped are not available.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much each local authority in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding in 2013-14.

Steve Webb: The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of discretionary housing payments (DHP) in 2013-14.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) computers, (b) job-search stations and (c) telephones were available for jobseekers to use in Jobcentre Plus offices in the United Kingdom in each financial year since 2008-09; and whether these will be available in every Jobcentre Plus in 2015-16.

Esther McVey: We are changing the way we provide our service, moving from a telephone and jobpoint-based service to one which is making use of the latest technologies. From now until the end of October, we will be installing wi-fi and new web access devices across the jobcentre network. This will enable claimants to access universal jobmatch and other job sites, as well as allowing them to apply directly for vacancies that they find.
	
		
			 Equipment available for jobseekers to use in jobcentres in Great Britain1 from 2008-16 
			  (a) Computers (b) Jobsearch stations (jobpoints) (c) Telephones (customer access phones) 
			 2008-09 0 6,860 3,790 
			 2009-10 0 6,967 3,790 
			 2010-11 0 6,933 3,790 
			 2011-12 0 6,647 3,790 
			 2012-13 2,176 6,079 3,730 
			 2013-14 2,411 6,079 2,384 
			 2014-15 8,307 0 20 
			 2015-163 8,307 0 20 
			 1 Figures for Northern Ireland are not available. 2 Assisted service available to vulnerable claimants who are unable to access DWP services without our help. The assisted service is face-to-face and includes use of a telephone for claimants who need support to resolve their inquiry. Support is tailored to the individual’s needs. 3 Estimated figures. Note: All figures are as of financial year end. 
		
	
	The figures for 2013-14 were provided by Operations to the Digital Jobcentre Project as part of an audit undertaken at the start of the project and have not been properly checked and verified.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the availability of telephones and computers for jobseekers to use in Jobcentre Plus offices; and what plans he has to improve the provision of such equipment.

Esther McVey: The Digital Jobcentres project will modernise the jobcentre digital infrastructure. From now until the end of October, we will be installing wi-fi and new web access devices (WADs) across the jobcentre network.
	These WADs will enable claimants to access universal jobmatch and other job sites, as well as allowing them to apply directly for vacancies that they find. The purpose of this new equipment is to help those who have no access to digital technology elsewhere.
	Wi-fi will be available across the entire jobcentre network by the end of October.
	We will also be replacing around 2,300 customer access phones with a new assisted service for claimants who attend the jobcentre and are unable to access DWP services without our help. The assisted service is face-to-face and includes controlled use of a telephone. Support is tailored to the individual’s needs.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from each EU state are currently in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance in Preston constituency.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not available.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the hon. Member for Harrow West's letter of 2 June 2014 regarding Mr Abdi Kadir Mumin of Harrow; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: I wrote to the hon. Member on 10 June 2014.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received the New Enterprise Allowance since its commencement; and how many such people have subsequently (a) returned to jobseeker's allowance and (b) registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed.

Esther McVey: The number of New Enterprise Allowance starts since its commencement is regularly published by the Department and can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-work-programme-support-new-enterprise-allowance-march-2014
	The Department has made an assessment of the number of New Enterprise Allowance participants returning to any out-of-work benefit in the following published analysis. This suggests that 78% of people who started drawing the New Enterprise Allowance remained off benefit continuously for 12 months.
	ttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225167/NEA_benefit_status_ad-hoc_v3.pdf
	With regards to the number registered with HM Revenue and Customs, the Department does not hold individual-level data on self-employment with which we would be able to make this assessment.

Occupational Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress is being made in ensuring that all eligible employees have been offered automatic enrolment into a workplace pension scheme with minimum employer contributions.

Michael Penning: So far, automatic enrolment has been a stunning success. The latest information published by the Pensions Regulator on 12 June 2014 showed that more than 15,000 employers have completed the automatic enrolment process and 3.6 million eligible workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension.
	Around 99% of employers who have completed registration have done so without the need for the Pensions Regulator to use its statutory powers. Employers have understood that providing a workplace pension and helping their workers plan for retirement is now the norm.
	Preliminary findings from the 2013 Employers' Pension Provision survey show that around 90% of automatically enrolled workers have remained members of a pension scheme. This early success has led the Government to revise down our opt-out predictions. Instead of the anticipated 30% opt-out rate, the Government now expect only 15% of individuals will opt out once automatic enrolment is fully rolled out.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have made claims for personal independence payment following a stroke in the UK since April 2013; and how many have received a decision from his Department.

Michael Penning: The available data on claims to personal independence payment were published on 5 June 2014 and are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-official-statistics-june-2014
	Information on the number of successful new claimants is available against a range of conditions, including neurological conditions, which will include those who have had a stroke. The information is published and can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what volumetric models have been used to identify where backlogs of personal independence payments might develop in his Department’s administration of claims, as recommended by the National Audit Office; and when he plans to publish those models.

Michael Penning: We have no plans to publish any volumetric models.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people waiting for a personal independence payment decision are doing so because (a) the claimant has made the initial telephone claim but is waiting to receive, or has not yet returned, the additional information form or DS2600 for special rules for terminally ill people, (b) the claimant has returned their personal independence payment additional information form but is awaiting their face-to-face assessment appointment date, (c) the claimant had their face-to-face assessment by his Department has not yet made a decision on their claim, (d) the claimant has returned the DS1500 and his Department has not yet made a decision on their claim and (e) the claimant has informed his Department that they wish to withdraw their claim.

Michael Penning: The information the hon. Member has requested is not currently available.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what review his Department has carried out of operating assumptions and how in practice the speed and quality of personal independence payments decisions are affected by those assumptions.

Michael Penning: We are continually monitoring the PIP end-to-end journey and, along with our providers, we are taking forward various initiatives to improve overall PIP processing times, while also maintaining a strong focus on the quality of PIP decisions.
	We are monitoring and evaluating these actions and will continue to look for opportunities to introduce further initiatives as appropriate.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department has assessed whether the new personal independence payment claims, assessment and decision-making process meets obligations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, including terminally ill people; what mechanisms are being used for gathering feedback from claimants on the new process; and how many people have provided feedback on the process to date.

Michael Penning: The Department carries out analysis of the likely impacts of its policies on protected groups, including disabled people, as required by the Equality Act. Equality impact assessments conducted in respect of PIP are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-living-allowance-reform-equality-impact-assessment
	Although we do not keep details of the numbers of individual claimants who have provided feedback, we regularly receive and consider feedback from a variety of sources, including claimants, our staff, providers and from our Implementation Stakeholder Forum, which hears views from a wide range of organisations representing and supporting disabled people. I, along with my officials, meet regularly with organisations representing disabled people.
	We are conducting two independent reviews of PIP, the first of which will report by the end of 2014. The terms of reference for this review are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/simplifying-the-welfare-system-and-making-sure-work-pays/supporting-pages/introducing-personal-independence-payment

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are made for assessing people with aphasia following stroke when claiming personal independence payments (PIP); what the exceptional criteria are for issuing PIP paper claim forms; and how many PIP1 paper claim forms have been (a) requested and (b) issued.

Michael Penning: Where it is clear from their questionnaire or from medical evidence that an individual who is making a claim for PIP has aphasia, the health professional will advise on the level of relevant functional loss on a paper basis wherever possible. Where a face-to-face consultation is required, claimants are encouraged to bring another person with them where they would find this helpful.
	In exceptional circumstances, where a claimant is unable to deal with the Department by telephone and has no one to help them make the telephone call, claimants can request a paper version of the initial claim form. Additionally, we can offer a home visit. The Department does not collect details of the number of requested or issued paper claim forms.

Personal Independence Payment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current average waiting time is for personal independence payment assessments to be completed and a decision made in (a) England and (b) Leeds.

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average length of time between an assessment appointment for personal independence payment and a decision being made has been for residents of (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region since the beginning of the scheme;
	(2)  what the average length of time between applying for a personal independence payment and an assessment appointment has been for residents of (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region since the beginning of the scheme.

Michael Penning: The information you have requested is not currently available.

Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Ministers in his Department have visited Preston since June 2010; on what date each such visit took place; what the purpose was of each such visit; and who those Ministers met on each such visit.

Esther McVey: The Department does not maintain a central record of all ministerial visits and to gather this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on correspondence with recipients of (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Greater Manchester

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many residents of (a) Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency and (b) Manchester have had their benefits sanctioned in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many people have had their benefits sanctioned in (a) Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency and (b) Manchester in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The available information as requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction applied in Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency and Manchester local authority: 2010 - 2013 
			  Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency Manchester local authority 
			 2010 1,310 7,600 
			 2011 1,400 8,140 
			 2012 1,310 8,350 
			 2013 1,290 9,590 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, or income support (lone parents). 3. Data are for January to December in each year. 4. Income support lone parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant (not aged less than 25) for each failure to attend/participate in a Work Focused Interview until 10p is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a Work Focused Interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one Work Focused Interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit. 5. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA and ESA from 22 October 2012 and 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high-level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules 6. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Sources: 1. (JSA and ESA): DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database 2. (IS): Income Support Computer System

Social Security Benefits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of each type of benefit were sanctioned and for what period by Warrington Jobcentre in each year since 2010.

Esther McVey: The information requested on the duration of benefit sanctions is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The available information on the number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction in Warrington Jobcentre Plus office: 2010-13 
			  Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) Employment and support allowance (ESA) 
			 2010 1,121 146 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 912 45 
			 2012 1,436 36 
			 2013 1,488 55 
			 Notes: 1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to protect against the identification of individual claimants. 2. Figures for income support lone parents are not available by Jobcentre Plus office. 3. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 4. Data refer to January to December in each year shown. 5. New regulations introduced a new revised sanctions regime for JSA and ESA claimants from 22 October and 3 December 2012 respectively. 6. These data are published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the risk of fraud in (a) the pathfinders for universal credit and (b) the roll out of the universal credit system.

Esther McVey: DWP has taken a number of steps to design out fraud and error in the universal credit system.
	Prior to the introduction of universal credit (UC), DWP assessed the risk of fraud and error and concluded the risk would be mitigated by restricting the initial claims in pathfinder areas to those with the lowest risk of fraud, and to exclude more complex claims where fraud or error was more likely. DWP also implemented an automated data-matching capability to defend the UC system against the top causes of fraud or error. This Counter Fraud Capability introduced an automated pre-payment check for the first time to prevent fraud. It checked the very first UC claim and has checked every claim made since. This process also conducts a weekly scrutiny of all the data DWP holds against all UC claims to detect any fraud that may have subsequently started so we can take action immediately.
	To provide a secure roll-out of UC nationally, DWP's specialists in security and counter-fraud work are working with the UC Programme to ensure that the essential security and counter-fraud controls are in place before the digital ‘end state' service can go live. By drawing on security and counter-fraud knowledge from across Government and external security expertise, we are ensuring that the core digital service is ‘secure by design' from the outset, and that the service is also supported by the right online security and counter-fraud capabilities.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on legal costs incurred appealing against decisions by the Information Commissioner requiring the release of information about the universal credit programme since 2011.

Esther McVey: The Department’s records relating to legal costs do not distinguish between actions which the Department has brought and actions which it has defended or the stage of legal proceedings in respect of which each invoice for legal representation is paid. Disaggregating the data would take the costs of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.

Wood: Health Hazards

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the health dangers of wood dust.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to respond as this falls under the remit of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
	Wood dust can cause non-reversible health problems, including skin disorders, obstruction of the nose and rhinitis, asthma and nasal cancer. There are appropriate workplace controls and HSE provides comprehensive guidance for employers on these.
	Exposure to wood dust in workplaces is regulated by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) which require exposures to be reduced as far below the workplace exposure limit as is reasonably practicable. Suitable control measures may include local exhaust ventilation, on-tool extraction systems and, in some cases, respiratory protective equipment. Workers will usually require health surveillance checks.
	HSE has recently commissioned a new study to update the evidence base for wood dust exposure and health effects in the UK construction and woodworking industries. The study will run over the next two to three years and is being undertaken by the Health and Safety Laboratory with support and assistance from industry.

Work Capability Assessment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training (a) Atos staff and (b) staff of his Department are given in mental health for the purposes of assessing whether claimants are fit for work.

Michael Penning: All health care professionals receive training in mental health issues as part of their induction training, are required to engage in a programme of continuing medical education, which includes modules on mental health issues, and have access to Mental Function Champions.
	Atos training and guidance materials are regularly reviewed and external experts, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, are involved in quality assurance.
	All health care professionals are monitored to ensure that their work meets the required quality standards. If a problem is identified, the health care professional may be required to undertake tailored training, which may involve training in mental health issues if required.
	DWP staff receive training in respect of decisions concerning medical or disability issues, including mental health. Specifically, learning is provided on:
	understanding the WCA descriptors;
	gathering evidence from the claimant and medical professionals; and
	using the evidence to apply the descriptors and determine capability for work.
	Within the learning emphasis is placed on the ongoing support available to decision makers from Atos Healthcare to interpret and understand medical information.
	In the Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment published in December 2013, Doctor Litchfield made a number of recommendations related to training in mental health which have been accepted subject to further scoping work.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people referred to the Work Programme who fail to participate in mandated activity.

Esther McVey: The available information for jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimants who have been sanctioned for failure to participate in the WP is given in Table 1.8 here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-and-employment-and-support-allowance-sanctions-decisions-made-to-december-2013
	The available information for employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants who have been sanctioned for failure to participate in a work-related activity, which will include the WP, in given in Table 2.6 of the same spreadsheet.
	This information is also published and available at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the possible implementation in Wales of a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice: We remain committed to discussing with counterparts in all the devolved Administrations whether a Bill introducing a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses could be a Great Britain or even United Kingdom Bill.

Ash Dieback Disease

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of health of the UK tree population following the recent Ash Dieback epidemic.

Dan Rogerson: Surveillance and monitoring has been carried out by the Forestry Commission and the Food and Environment Research Agency to provide intelligence on the rate of spread for Chalara. The surveillance in all four Administrations is helping to determine the extent of the disease. This work will continue on new infected sites and, in consultation with stakeholders, the Government will consider what future surveillance work is needed.
	Further information on the management approach to Chalara and other established tree pests and pathogens in England can be found in the Tree Health Management Plan, which was published in April 2014.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-health-management-plan

Bees

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department received from the European Commission for projects relating to bees in 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: In 2013-14 €116,760.90 of funding was provided by the European Commission for research projects relating to bees.

Dogs: Injuries

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs were injured as a result of (a) dog fighting, (b) dog baiting and (c) unprovoked attacks by other dogs in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The data requested are not collected or held by DEFRA.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA follows Cabinet Office advice in meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which is part of the Equality Act 2010, when considering bids for commercial contracts or grants.
	As part of our evaluation criteria we ask each bidder to provide evidence of their equality and diversity policy or an equivalent document which demonstrates their organisation’s commitment to equality and diversity and which is compliant with the relevant legislation.
	We ask each bidder to describe the steps they have taken to:
	monitor equality and diversity performance;
	implement training programmes for raising awareness;
	ensure staff and sub-contractors working on the contract comply appropriately with the relevant legislation;
	address cases of discrimination and other breaches and set out measures for preventing recurrences; and
	give the Department full confidence in their organisation’s approach to equality and diversity.
	A score is allocated to the bidder’s response to these questions which forms part of the overall technical evaluation of the bid.

Food

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's Sustainable Consumption Report, published in July 2013, what progress has been made on developing integrated healthy sustainable dietary guidelines to help health professionals, educators, businesses and the public make healthier and more sustainable food choices.

George Eustice: The Sustainable Consumption Report, published on 29 July 2013, was produced by a group of organisations following discussions facilitated by DEFRA. The report reflects the views of the stakeholders who were involved in its production; it does not represent Government policy.
	I met with the co-chairs of the working groups in March, and work has now started to peer review and publish the principles of a healthy and sustainable diet.

Pigs: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about the threat to pig health in the UK arising from (a) African swine fever and (b) porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus.

George Eustice: DEFRA, through the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency, undertakes routine scanning surveillance for the detection of new or re-emerging animal diseases that may pose a threat to animal health or public health. When an increase in threat is recognised, we publish risk assessments which are shared directly with our European colleagues and the European Commission. These are publicly available at
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/monitoring/poa/
	On African swine fever, we produced a risk assessment following the detection of wild boar cases in the European Union on the border with Belarus in January 2014. The situation and the risks posed to member states are discussed at meetings of the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health. These discussions have led to additional safeguard measures and the increased level of surveillance in Poland and Lithuania.
	DEFRA was made aware of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) and the emergence of a new virulent strain in the Americas and Asia in May 2013, when we first published an assessment of the risk of the disease entering the UK. We shared this assessment with the European Commission and our European colleagues. This was to raise awareness in a public forum, despite PED not being a notifiable disease. Since then, we have worked closely with other Member States with significant pig industries and the Commission to share our concerns. This has resulted in improved safeguard measures and a commissioned piece of work by the European Food Safety Authority to look at risk pathways.

Rural Areas: Festivals and Special Occasions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) rural festivals and (b) country sports events have been held in the UK in each of the last five years.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA does not hold this information.

Water Charges: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether agreement has been reached to extend to 2020 the reduction to household water bills for South West Water customers.

Dan Rogerson: The Government announced the decision to fund South West Water to enable it to cut bills by £50 per year for all household customers in the Budget 2011. Households in the south-west have received the reduction since April 2013. The understanding has always been that this reduction would continue for the duration of both the current spending review and the next.

DEFENCE

Air Force

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) rank and (b) length of service was of each RAF engineer (aerosystems) officer who left the service in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested constitutes personal data and is prohibited from release under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	However, based on the information held from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2014, the average total length of service on exit by rank for the engineer (aerosystems) officer is as follows:
	
		
			 Rank (RAF Engineer (Aerosystems)) 
			  Average length of service 
			 Junior Officers 12 years 0 months 
			 Squadron Leader 20 years 0 months 
			 Wing Commander 26 years 7 months 
			 Group Captain 1— 
			 1 Insufficient data to provide an average. The small number of Engineering (Aerosystems) Group Captains during the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2014 means the resulting “average” would be misleading.

Air Force: Leukaemia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force armourers have died from leukaemia in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: From 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013 (the last full year for which data are available), no RAF Armourer personnel have died as a result of leukaemia.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have applied to join the Royal Navy cadet force in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The number of people who made a formal application to join the Royal Navy and Royal Marines combined cadet force in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Adult Volunteers Cadets 
			 2009 50 300 
			 2010 40 570 
			 2011 40 1,140 
			 2012 40 1,720 
			 2013 50 1,650 
		
	
	In accordance with convention, these figures have been rounded.

Armed Forces: Pay

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what annual percentage increases in starting rates of pay (a) lieutenant colonels, (b) majors, (c) captains, (d) lieutenants, (e) sergeants, (f) corporals and (g) privates in the Army have received since 1982.

Anna Soubry: The annual percentage increases awarded by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body for the starting rates of pay of the specified ranks are shown in the following table. There was no annual percentage increase in 2011 and 2012 but all privates were awarded a £250 rise.
	
		
			  Lieutenant colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Corporal Private 
			 1982 6.5 6.6 7.9 5.6 5.3 4.9 4.3 
			 1983 8.6 8.5 8.4 8.3 6.5 6.1 5.9 
			 1984 8.1 7.4 7.7 7.4 6.8 6.6 6.1 
			 1985 7.7 7.5 7.3 7.0 6.8 7.0 3.9 
			 1986 8.7 7.6 7.1 7.2 7.2 7.1 5.2 
			 1987 6.0 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.1 5.9 4.1 
			 1988 7.1 6.8 6.8 6.8 6.4 6.4 3.7 
			 1989 1.2 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 1.9 
			 1990 11.0 10.6 11.1 10.4 10.2 10.4 10.5 
			 1991 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.7 
			 1992 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 
			 1993 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 
			 1994 1.6 1.3 0.6 0.3 3.4 9.6 2.8 
			 1995 1.6 1.3 0.6 0.3 6.2 1.7 1.3 
			 1996 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 
			 1997 3.4 4.0 3.8 4.2 4.5 3.0 3.0 
			 1998 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.2 
			 1999 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 
			 2000 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 
			 2001 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 
			 2002 3.7 4.2 4.2 3.7 3.7 3.7 4.2 
			 2003 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.7 
			 2004 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.2 
			 2005 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 
			 2006 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.3 
			 2007 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 9.4 
			 2008 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 
			 2009 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 
			 2010 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 2011 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 £250.00 
			 2012 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 £250.00 
			 2013 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 2014 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend schedule 2 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 to make the referral to the Service Police of sexual assault, exposure and voyeurism mandatory by commanding officers; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: There are no current proposals to amend schedule 2 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 to include the offences of sexual assault, exposure and voyeurism. A commanding officer made aware of an allegation that any of those three offences have been committed is under a statutory obligation to ensure it is investigated appropriately. Additional guidance, provided in the Manual of Service Law, informs commanding officers to take legal advice when making a decision as to who should investigate, with the presumption that the service police should normally be made aware.

Armed Forces: Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in preparing a cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment and training of minors; and when he expects to publish a report on that issue.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answers of 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 696W and 698W and of 18 December 2013, Official Report,  columns 632W, on armed forces: young people, if he will publish the terms of reference of the cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment of young people into the armed forces; when he expects that report to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The report has been submitted by the Army to Ministry of Defence (MOD) HQ for consideration. It is not possible to provide a publication date for the report until the report's findings have been considered.
	The terms of reference of the report are as follows:
	Question:
	“What is the cost overhead to MOD of Phase 1 training for Junior Entry (JE) soldiers versus Standard Entry (SE) soldiers joining the Army?”

Arms Trade

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in the arms industry in the UK.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence no longer compiles national or regional defence industry employment statistics as they do not directly support policy making or operations.

Army: Ethnic Groups

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many black and minority ethnic personnel have served in each regiment of the Army in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: The number of black and minority ethnic personnel serving in each regiment of the Army in each of the last 10 years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			 Arm/Service 1 April 2005 1 April 2006 1 April 2007 1 April 2008 1 April 2009 
			 Total 7,780 8,150 8,450 8,580 9,420 
			 Staff 20 20 20 20 20 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 230 240 260 320 350 
			 Royal Artillery 480 510 530 660 790 
			 Royal Engineers 420 460 500 530 600 
			 Royal Signals 380 390 390 380 410 
			 Infantry 1,910 1,900 1,800 1,940 2,240 
			 Army Air Corps 110 110 110 120 120 
			 Royal Army Chaplain’s Department - - - - - 
			 Royal Logistic Corps 2,560 2,820 3,030 2,780 2,930 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 260 290 330 330 330 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 470 480 520 610 680 
			 Adjutant General’s Corps 660 640 630 570 590 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps - - - 10 - 
			 Small Arms School Corps - - - - - 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 40 50 70 70 80 
			 Intelligence Corps 50 50 50 60 60 
			 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 20 20 20 20 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Queen Alexander’s Royal Army Nursing Corps 70 80 90 100 120 
			 Corps of Army Musicians 20 20 20 20 20 
			 General List/General Service Corps 30 40 20 10 10 
			 Long Service List 30 30 30 30 40 
			 Unknown ethnicity 6,900 6,080 5,740 6,850 6,690 
		
	
	
		
			 Arm/Service 1 April 2010 1 April 2011 1 April 2012 1 April 2013 1 April 2014 
			 Total 10,070 10,090 10,300 10,140 9,360 
			 Staff 20 20 10 10 10 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 380 360 350 330 300 
			 Royal Artillery 880 880 880 840 730 
			 Royal Engineers 670 710 750 780 720 
			 Royal Signals 460 480 490 480 450 
			 Infantry 2,410 2,430 2,550 2,580 2,310 
			 Army Air Corps 110 100 100 90 90 
			 Royal Army Chaplain’s Department - - - - - 
			 Royal Logistic Corps 3,020 2,960 2,940 2,820 2,640 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 330 320 310 340 330 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 720 700 670 640 560 
			 Adjutant General’s Corps 720 780 860 850 840 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Small Arms School Corps - - - - 10 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 80 80 80 80 60 
			 Intelligence Corps 60 60 60 60 50 
			 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 20 20 20 20 20 
			 Queen Alexander’s Royal Army Nursing Corps 120 130 130 140 150 
			 Corps of Army Musicians 20 20 20 20 30 
			 General List/General Service Corps 10 20 20 20 20 
			 Long Service List 30 30 30 20 20 
			 Unknown ethnicity 2,270 650 310 240 170 
		
	
	The figures are for Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time Reserve Service, mobilised Reserves, TA and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from Gurkha Trained Adult Male to United Kingdom Trained Adult Personnel. Data have not previously been recorded for the Army Reserve.
	Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Army: Length of Service

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 809W, on Army: length of service, on how many soldiers in each regiment or corps the figures are based.

Anna Soubry: The average strength by regiment or corps is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Regiment/Corps Average strength 
			 Household Cavalry & Royal Armoured Corps 1,860 
			 Royal Artillery 2,210 
			 Royal Engineers 2,830 
			 Royal Signals 1,830 
			 Infantry 8,700 
			 Army Air Corps 370 
			 Royal Logistic Corps 4,560 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 560 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 2,670 
			 Adjutant General’s Corps (Provost) 400 
			 Adjutant General’s Corps (Staff and Personnel Support) 870 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 80 
			 Small Arms School Corps 20 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 60 
			 Intelligence Corps 240 
			 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 110 
			 Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps 140 
			 Corps of Army Music 180 
			 Senior Soldier Continuity Posts (Long Service) 140 
			 Notes: 1. The figures are based on the outflow of Army personnel between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2013. 2. Underlying outflow figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Source: Defence Statistics (Army)

HMS Illustrious

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Illustrious will return from its current deployment.

Mark Francois: HMS Illustrious is currently participating in Exercise Deep Blue, an anti-submarine exercise in the Western Approaches. I am withholding details of its future programme and dates as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

HMS Sultan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he or officials in his Department have had with counterparts in the Royal Canadian navy or the US navy on personnel of those navies undertaking conversion training at HMS Sultan to fill current vacancies in suitably qualified and experienced personnel positions.

Anna Soubry: There have been no such discussions with the Royal Canadian navy or the United States navy. However, we work closely with many nations and provide opportunities for their personnel to serve with the Royal Navy through a range of schemes, including exchange and liaison postings.

Military Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to confirm the decision to allow a process change to enable the Rivet Joint signal intelligence aircraft to be certificated under Military Aviation Authority regulations.

Philip Dunne: The UK Rivet Joint could not be certified under Military Aviation Authority regulatory publications (MRP) due to difficulties in obtaining documentary evidence of the aircraft’s original design basis. The MRP allows an alternative course of action to be agreed where a regulated entity cannot fully comply. Accordingly, an alternative approach was agreed for Rivet Joint to achieve the same level of design safety assurance. The aircraft has been cleared by the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, the RAF's Release to Service Authority, to fly to an initial Release to Service and completed its first flight on 23 May 2014.

Military Aircraft

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reason was for the time taken to produce the Defence Air Safety Annual Report July 2012 to August 2013, published on 3 April 2014; and if he will make it his policy to publish future such reports within three months of the end of the relevant year.

Anna Soubry: Before publishing the Annual Report, it was identified that further analysis of an air safety issue was required. Following completion of the analysis, the report was released for publication. We remain committed to the timely publication of future reports.

Navy

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commissions he has extended for Royal Navy officers at or between level QF2 to QF4, who were officers before 1999, to address a lack of suitably qualified and experienced personnel.

Anna Soubry: Extensions of service for Royal Navy officers are not made by Ministers but are a matter for the Royal Navy. However, the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Reserve Forces

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of how long is needed to bring the Army Reserves to full strength as set out in Army 2020.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement and paper the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 124WS.

Reserve Forces

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department provides to reserve military personnel forced to leave military service as a result of injury sustained in the course of duty.

Anna Soubry: The provision of health care for veterans in the UK is the responsibility of NHS (England) and the devolved Administrations. For NHS (England) this is the responsibility of individual GP-led Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The comprehensive services CCGs commission reflect local priorities and the aspirations of the Armed Forces Covenant.
	When mobilised, a Reservist has the same entitlement to health care provided by Defence Medical Services as a Regular Service person. The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Programme provides rehabilitation for injured or ill personnel, including Reservists mobilised for operations. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is extending rehabilitation services to Reservists injured during training, which will facilitate their return to fitness.
	The MOD also provides War Disablement Pensions under the War Pensions Scheme if Reservists are no longer serving in HM Armed Forces and their disablement arose before 6 April 2005. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provides compensation for any injury, illness or death which is caused by service on or after 6 April 2005.
	Help and advice is available to all veterans, including Reserves, from Veterans UK (formerly the Service Personnel and Veteran's Agency). Information about how to claim a war pension or AFCS is available from Veterans UK at:
	www.veterans-uk.info
	or e-mail:
	veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk
	or free helpline 0808 1914 2 18. Veterans UK can signpost individuals to other sources of assistance, including the Veterans Welfare Service, which provides dedicated welfare support to veterans (including Reserves), their families, and dependants.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth is planned to close.

Andrew Murrison: BAE Systems is expected to complete a phased return of its Portsmouth shipbuilding facilities to the Ministry of Defence by the end of this year. It will, however, retain one office building to accommodate around 250 personnel already engaged on support to the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme in Portsmouth.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the capacity of English, Welsh and Northern Ireland shipyards to build surface warships following the closure of the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth.

Philip Dunne: As part of the wider maritime negotiations with the Ministry of Defence in 2013, BAE Systems took the decision to focus its shipbuilding activities on the Clyde in Scotland. This decision has secured a sustainable future for the UK shipbuilding industry.
	There are a number of commercial yards outside Scotland that could be considered as potential alternatives; however, no assessment of the viability of these shipyards as a potential focus for complex warship building has been undertaken.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of proposals to utilise the current BAE shipyard in Portsmouth subsequent to its planned closure.

Andrew Murrison: Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has been appointed as the Ministry of Defence's marketing agents for the facilities being vacated by BAE Systems' shipbuilding operation.
	LSH has received 19 expressions of interest that it is following up with site visits and/or provision of further information. This phase of the campaign is expected to run until the end of June 2014, when all of the expressions of interest will be fully assessed to determine whether any of them would be an appropriate and compatible future user for the site.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that specialised manufacturing and engineering equipment located at the BAE shipyard, Portsmouth, will be made available to potential new users of the shipyard.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is in discussions with BAE Systems over the feasibility of leaving specialised plant and machinery on the site when shipbuilding in Portsmouth ceases later this year. These discussions are continuing but no decisions have been taken regarding what equipment might be available to a potential new user of the site.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has plans to introduce maritime remotely-piloted air systems; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Royal Navy has introduced the ScanEagle Unmanned Air System, delivering an intimate and assured persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance for equipped ships. ScanEagle was brought into service as an Urgent Operational Requirement; we are currently reviewing options for a follow-on maritime capability in the future.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle; and how much his Department has spent on the assessment process to date.

Philip Dunne: Among other options, the potential utility of systems representative of the MQ-4C Triton in addressing the UK's potential wide area maritime surveillance requirement is currently under review. This activity is supported by the Air Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Optimisation Study (AIOS), which will provide support for potential decisions in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Disaggregating the cost of the MQ-4C Triton analysis from the rest of the AIOS could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where his Department plans to base the Watchkeeper remotely piloted air systems following completion of training at Salisbury Plain and West Wales Airport.

Mark Francois: Under current plans Watchkeeper remotely piloted air systems will be located at Larkhill with 32nd and 47th Regiments Royal Artillery.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Algeria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian Government to ensure the safety of UK oil and gas workers in the country; and who his primary point of contact in the office of the President of that country is in discussions on that matter.

Hugh Robertson: We discuss the security of hydrocarbon sites at the UK-Algeria Strategic Security Partnership, which was established after In Amenas and met for the second time in November 2013. In this forum, the national security adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, spoke to Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and the Algerian military about this issue. I also discussed the importance of security at hydrocarbon sites with the then Algerian Deputy Foreign Minister Madjid Bouguerra during my visits to Algiers in both January and April 2014.

Armed Conflict: Minerals

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's conflict minerals disclosure rule.

Mark Simmonds: The deadline for disclosure under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act was 2 June 2014. It is too soon to measure the overall effectiveness of the legislation.
	We continue to encourage all relevant companies to implement the OECD due diligence guidance for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.

Armed Conflict: Minerals

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 201WH, on political and human rights (African Great Lakes), what steps the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights team is taking to encourage companies to participate in voluntary principles concerning supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected areas.

Mark Simmonds: During the debate on 13 May 2014 I said that we were encouraging companies and countries to join the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. In the last two years, I have met a range of UK companies to discuss the Voluntary Principles. Three of those companies have joined or have applied to join the initiative. Officials, often working with other member Governments of the Voluntary Principles, participate in in-country workshops, projects and other activity to support and encourage the participation of new Governments in the initiative. On 11 June 2014 I met the Justice Minister of Mozambique to discuss the Voluntary Principles, and in April the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary raised the Voluntary Principles with President Kikwete of Tanzania.
	In terms of responsible sourcing of minerals, officials participate in discussions with UK industry, and more broadly with international partners and non-governmental organisations, to support, responsible sourcing. The focus of these discussions is the OECD due diligence guidance I referred to on 13 May 2014. DFID has provided financial support, through the $90 million World Bank—DFID ProMines project, towards the implementation of the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism, a publicly available map of armed groups on mining sites through the International Peace Information Service as well as traceability schemes such as the ITRI tin supply chain initiative.

Arms Trade: Treaties

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the remaining states that have not yet ratified the Arms Trade Treaty do so.

William Hague: We will work to encourage states to sign and to ratify, in order to reach the 50 ratifications that are required to bring the treaty into force. Like the negotiations on the treaty itself, this will take time and require the considerable efforts and persistence of a broad coalition of supporters.
	The UK has allocated £350,000 to support projects that will help countries to sign, ratify and implement the arms trade treaty (ATT). We are working through the UN and the EU with countries that require technical assistance and advice on how to implement certain aspects of the treaty e.g. enforcement training and framing legislation correctly. Other activities include raising awareness with key partners in regions such as west Africa, where communities are seriously affected by the illicit trade in small arms.
	This year, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's counter-proliferation programme, we will be funding a series of ATT-related projects specifically focused on ATT signature, ratification, implementation and early entry into force.

Balkans

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the European Commission provides support to the victims of recent flooding in the Balkans; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort.
	In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a 33-person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EU Force (EUFOR) Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages north of Bijeljina.
	In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the co-ordination of their response teams, and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid their relief distribution effort.
	A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. Subsequently the UK provided £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region focusing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods. ECHO has released €3.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia and the Commission has reallocated a further €62 million to support short to medium-term recovery and reconstruction needs in the affected areas. To both the UK will have contributed 15% and we will continue to work with the European Commission to try to identify any further assistance which could be made available from existing budgets.
	In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in-theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH armed forces in their response to the flooding. The First Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, which provides part of EUFOR’s intermediate reserve, and is in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, is assisting the BiH armed forces in this regard.
	The Government will continue to work closely with the EU, the UN and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

Burundi

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in Burundi.

Mark Simmonds: We are concerned about recent developments in the security situation in Burundi. The situation remains tense, with limited political space not conducive to the protection of human rights.
	During my visit in April, I heard concerns from Burundians and the international community about the increasing limitations on political space and the resultant challenge that could pose for next year’s elections. The UN Office in Burundi (BNUB), which is playing an important role reporting on human rights and bringing stability to Burundi, has warned that as the country approaches elections in 2015, there is a possibility of violence.
	I am particularly concerned about the trend of increased violence by the youth wings of political parties. I discussed these issues with the Burundian President Nkurunzia during my visit to Burundi in April 2014. I also emphasised the importance of consolidating peace and democracy and that reconciliation and free and fair elections were key to Burundi’s future. Officials, including from our high commission in Kigali, continue to monitor the situation closely
	We welcome the UN Security Council’s increased focus on Burundi and our permanent representative to the UN emphasised the importance of reconciliation and holding free and fair elections during April’s UN Security Council debates on Burundi. We strongly support the resulting presidential statement which expressed concern at the violence and the closing down of political space.

Burundi

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to help ensure free, fair and credible elections in Burundi in 2015.

Mark Simmonds: I continue to be concerned about rising political tensions and the closing of political space in Burundi ahead of May’s elections. Together with the wider international community, we are working together to encourage Burundi to adhere to the March 2013 UN Roadmap and co-operate with the UN on electoral governance. During my visit to Burundi in April 2015, I highlighted our concerns about rising political tensions, including violence and intimidation by political youth groups, with President Nkurunzia. Robust, comprehensive international monitoring is required both for the elections and this current pre-election period.

Burundi

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 203WH, what steps he is taking to support human rights in Burundi.

Mark Simmonds: We monitor human rights in Burundi closely. When I visited Burundi in April, I lobbied President Nkurunziza about the importance of respecting human and democratic rights. On 29 May 2014 I tweeted our concern about the detention of Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, Burundi’s most active human rights defender. My officials are following this case closely. In recent years, my officials at the high commission in Kigali have funded human rights protection projects in Burundi and specifically, the Burundian Independent Commission of Human Rights. In 2013, officials attended and contributed to Burundi's Universal Periodic Review of its human rights progress.

Central Africa

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to integrate the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative throughout the Great Lakes region.

Mark Simmonds: The preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative (PSVI) is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office priority. In the Great Lakes region, PSVI focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the problem of sexual violence in conflict is most acute. The DRC was a focus country for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict that took place in London on 10 to 13 June 2014. At that meeting the high level DRC delegation presented progress on its national action plans to tackle sexual violence in conflict and discussed with the international community how to overcome the challenges.
	During his visit to eastern DRC in March 2013 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced over £1 million in funding to a range of organisations tackling rape and sexual violence. Other British embassies and high commissions in the Great Lakes region run smaller scale projects to raise awareness of sexual violence in conflict and to promote the PSVI agenda. The International Protocol on Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict was launched on 11 June 2014 at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. It was field tested in the DRC and Uganda.

China

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of allegations of repressive measures taken towards civil society activists in China related to commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown; and whether the Government have made representations to the Chinese Government on that matter.

William Hague: We are concerned at reports of detentions in relation to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident, and we raised our concerns about this with the Chinese authorities during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in London on 20 May 2014. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also raised this issue with the Chinese authorities on 19 May 2014 and made a statement on 21 May. We also fully support the EU statement of 28 May calling for the release of all those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their views.
	We were pleased to see that on 5 June 2014 the Chinese authorities released a number of those who had been arrested after attending an event to commemorate the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in the development of governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: Decades of conflict and a lack of accountability and transparency have left the country unstable, lacking infrastructure and social services, and falling well short of its economic potential.
	Weak governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also presents many challenges. But after the surrender of the armed group M23 late last year, and recent indications that elements of the FDLR armed group also intend to surrender, 2014 provides an opportunity for greater stability in the Great Lakes.
	During my visit to DRC in February, I witnessed the country’s potential. I emphasised to the DRC Government, including President Kabila, the importance of making progress on key areas, including elections; economic reform; the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants; and the reform of the security sector. We discussed how the UK might best support the development and stability of the region through our support for the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, as well as our significant development programme.
	DFID expects to spend £72.6 million on governance and security in DRC between 2011 to 2015. This support has meant that in 2011, 31 million people registered to vote, of whom 52% were women. By 2015, 1,025 communities will be empowered to monitor local government performance, 10 million citizens will be trained on elections, rights and responsibilities and over 100 civil society organisations will be empowered to monitor Government performance and influence Government.

Egypt

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister from his Department will meet representatives of Egypt’s new President.

William Hague: The National Security Adviser visited Cairo on 10-11 June and met President el-Sisi. Ministers and senior officials are in regular contact with the Government of Egypt and I issued a message congratulating President el-Sisi on 3 June. We look to him to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution by opening up political space, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association. We believe the best way for Egyptians to achieve the goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate.

Egypt

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the likely date for parliamentary elections in Egypt.

William Hague: I met Egyptian Foreign Minister Fahmy during his visit to the UK on 14 May and discussed a range of issues, including the timing of parliamentary elections. We believe the best way for the Egyptians to achieve goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through free and fair elections and an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate.

Egypt

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the new Egyptian President about freedom of religion.

William Hague: The Government have been clear throughout recent events in Egypt that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected and that the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of a democratic society. I have not yet met President el-Sisi but will look to work with him and the Egyptian Government to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution, which includes protections for freedom of religious belief.
	The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, my right hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson), discussed the situation faced by Coptic Christians and implications of the new constitution in a meeting with Bishop Yulios during his visit to Cairo in December.

Egypt

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Egypt; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The 26-28 May presidential election in Egypt was an important moment for the millions of Egyptians who expressed their opinion through the ballot box. I made a statement on 3 June in which I congratulated President el-Sisi on his election and urged Egypt’s leaders to ensure that Egypt’s transition leads towards accountable and democratic governance, underpinned by strong and accountable institutions. We look forward to working with President el-Sisi and his Government to strengthen the broad and productive relationship between both our peoples.
	We continue to believe that the best way for Egyptians to achieve the goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate. The UK stands ready to support the Egyptian people in achieving this.

Gibraltar

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the provisions of EU law in relation to the freedom to provide services apply to the provision of services from Gibraltar to any part of the EU.

David Lidington: Gibraltar is in the EU and is covered by EU treaty provisions on the freedom to provide services. We vigorously support all of Gibraltar’s rights under the EU treaties.

Indian Subcontinent

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) India and (b) Pakistan on sexual violence against women in those countries.

Hugo Swire: The information is as follows:
	(a) I refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard) of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 208W.
	(b) The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict declaration with National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz in March and was pleased that, as a result of further discussions with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan was also represented by Sartaj Aziz at the Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence Initiative summit last week.

Iran

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on extending the deadline for agreeing a P5+1 comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran.

William Hague: The UK, like the rest of the E3+3, remains strongly committed to reaching a comprehensive agreement with Iran by 20 July. The Geneva interim deal is renewable by mutual consent. It is important that Iran addresses our concerns and agrees to limit its nuclear activity without delay.

Iran

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of reaching a comprehensive agreement between the P5+1 and Iran on its nuclear programme in advance of the 20 July 2014 deadline.

William Hague: The current negotiations with Iran, which have built on the Geneva interim deal, have been constructive, but challenging. Any deal will require Iran to take significant steps to address comprehensively our proliferation concerns. But there remains commitment on all sides of the table to reach a deal.

Iran

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government expect the International Atomic Energy Agency's inquiry into the military dimension of the Iranian nuclear programme to be complete before the deadline for agreeing a comprehensive nuclear deal set by the P5+1.

William Hague: It is unlikely that the complex questions surrounding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme (PMD) will be resolved by 20 July. We call on Iran to grant immediately access to all sites, equipment, persons and documents requested by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran must demonstrate real progress on PMD in order to reassure the international community that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.

Iraq

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the position of (a) the Christian community and (b) other religious minorities in Mosul, Iraq; what reports he has received of Christians fleeing their homes in Mosul; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We are concerned by the impact of the security situation in Mosul for all Iraqis living there, including religious minorities. Reports estimate that 500,000 people have left the Mosul area to escape violence caused when the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) attacked the city on 10 June. Many have sought refuge in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. A team from the Department for International Development arrived in Erbil on 13 June to assess the situation on the ground and co-ordinate with partners. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Jerusalem

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK position is on the future status of Jerusalem.

Hugh Robertson: The Government consider that Jerusalem has the status of a corpus separatum as defined by the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Although we accept de facto Israeli control of West Jerusalem we do not recognise Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which we consider to be occupied territory. Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
	We believe that a solution to Jerusalem must be sought as part of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the solution must allow for all those people for whom Jerusalem means so much to access and enjoy it.

Libya

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the progress made by the Libyan Government on drafting a new constitution.

William Hague: The Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) in Libya is responsible for drafting the new constitution. The elections for the CDA took place on 20 February and Ali Tarhouni was subsequently elected as Chair of the body. Discussions are ongoing to fill outstanding slots for minority groups. I welcome the recent G7 communiqué which underscored the commitment of the international community to support the work of the CDA. The UK attends the UN Elections and Constitution co-ordination meetings in Libya, which monitor the work of the CDA.
	While there is still much work to do in a challenging timescale and testing security environment, the CDA recently produced an initial programme of what it plans to include in the constitution, including the main references and guiding principles. I welcome the efforts the CDA is making in developing a transparent and inclusive process that will benefit all peoples of Libya.

Libya

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role he sees for the EU in helping to facilitate Libyan parliamentary elections in July 2014.

William Hague: The UK is firmly committed to supporting the Libyan people and Government, and I welcome the elections for the Libyan House of Representatives due on 25 June. I hope it will be conducted in a fair, transparent and accountable way that is respected by all parties. I believe that the EU, along with our international partners, can play a crucial role in supporting these elections. An EU Election Experts’ Mission monitored the Constitutional Assembly elections in February and set out recommendations for improvements, which were shared with the Libyan authorities in a report. We believe this, along with other EU programmes related to democratic transition in Libya, has laid a solid foundation to facilitate the June elections.

Middle East

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the approach of the new Palestinian Government to the peace process with Israel.

Hugh Robertson: President Abbas was clear that the new interim technocratic Government will uphold a commitment to the principle of non-violence, a negotiated two-state solution, and an acceptance of all previous agreements and obligations, including Israel’s legitimate right to exist. Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a Government committed to these principles is a necessary condition for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We now look to the new Government to demonstrate these commitments through their actions as well as their words.

Morocco

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports he has received of changes in the number of human rights violations committed by the Moroccan Security Forces against Saharawi citizens since the passing of (a) resolution 2099 and (b) resolution 2152;
	(2)  how the number of allegations of human rights violations perpetrated by the Moroccan Security Forces against Saharawi citizens has been monitored (a) since resolution 2099 was passed on 25 April 2013 and (b) since resolution 2152 was passed on 25 April 2014.

Hugh Robertson: Over the last year, we have received reports of human rights violations in Western Sahara from a number of sources, including the Moroccan National Human Rights Council, UN special rapporteurs, international human rights organisations and civil society groups. However, none of these have released information on the number of violations.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent UK companies profiting from North Korean labour; and what steps he is taking to ensure that UK companies are compliant with international law on human trafficking, slavery and forced labour in their contracts in North Korea.

Hugo Swire: The UK is the first country to publish the Implementation Plan of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which states the Government’s expectation of business behaviour both in the UK and overseas. In October 2013, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills amended the Companies Act 2006 to introduce mandatory reporting requirements for all UK listed companies to publish information on human rights issues. At the EU level, the UK in April this year secured agreement to impose further reporting requirements on companies across Europe. In particular, all large listed and public interest undertakings will be required to disclose policies, outcomes and risks relating to areas such as respect for human rights and, if relevant, linked to their supply and subcontracting chain.
	Current trade between the UK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is minimal and covered by an overarching provision that any activities should satisfy existing UN and EU sanctions. These refer to restriction in the export of goods and financial assistance, which may contribute to the development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. There are currently no plans to introduce a general restriction on trade, as such a broad measure could adversely affect ordinary North Koreans.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations on supporting the broadcasting of accessible information into the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea in paragraph 1224 of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in that country.

Hugo Swire: We have taken note of the UN Commission of Inquiry recommendation that civil society be supported to broadcast accessible information. We have helped to facilitate contact between BBC Worldwide and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) broadcasting authorities, to explore the possibility of the BBC supplying a range of programmes to the DPRK.
	Through our embassy in Pyongyang, the UK is also one of the few countries which is able to engage directly with the DPRK. This complements the efforts of others who are already broadcasting into North Korea. The recent report of the UN Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights in North Korea recognised the importance of both approaches.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the UN on the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Hugo Swire: In October 2013, I met members of the Commission of Inquiry team on a visit we organised for them to the UK. I travelled to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in March to urge action following their report, and I was pleased with the strong resolution which passed later that month.
	In April the UK raised the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) human rights concerns during closed consultations between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Security Council. The same month the UK's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York met with members of the Commission of Inquiry and expressed our strong support for the work of the Commission. The UK also took part in a public ‘Arria' briefing with other Security Council members to consider DPRK human rights. In May, we raised the need for continued focus on the situation during a UN Security Council Sanctions Committee meeting. I will travel to the UN in Geneva this week in order to meet the DPRK Special Rapporteur, Marzuki Darusman, and to set out the UK's concerns to the Council. The meeting of the UN General Assembly in September presents a further opportunity to hold discussions.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to increase the flow of impartial information into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea following the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in that country.

Hugo Swire: The British embassy in Pyongyang has arranged for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) officials to attend education programmes in the UK with a human rights element, and also to attend economics workshops in Pyongyang aiming to deepen their understanding of international standards and norms. The British Council English language teaching programme in Pyongyang provides another area of extensive engagement. The embassy also delivers strong messages directly to DPRK interlocutors about the UK's human rights concerns, including concerns arising from the UN Commission of Inquiry.

Palestinians

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the practice of Palestinian youths being tried by military courts and sentenced to prison for minor offences.

Hugh Robertson: The Government are concerned over the dual court system that is employed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, under which all Palestinians, except those living in East Jerusalem, are subject to trial in military courts irrespective of the charges against them, while Israeli youths are tried in civil courts. We also have serious concerns about the treatment of Palestinian children under the Israeli military court system, which we raise regularly with the Israeli authorities. More details can be found at:
	http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/

South Sudan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Government of Sudan facilitate the full deployment of UNMISS troops and equipment.

Mark Simmonds: The Governments of both Sudan and South Sudan have now granted the necessary clearances for the transfer of a Rwandan battalion from the UN-Africa Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to UNMISS. We understand that that battalion has now arrived in South Sudan.
	We have made it clear to the Governments of both Sudan and South Sudan that any actions that impede UNMISS in the delivery of its mandate are unacceptable.

South Sudan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that UNMISS protects civilians by (a) regular patrols and consultation with communities and (b) involvement of civilians experts in UNMISS programmes.

Mark Simmonds: As a permanent member of the Security Council, the UK is a leading advocate of ensuring that protection of civilians from violence is prioritised in the mandates of UN Missions working in conflict-affected countries. UN Security Council Resolution 2155 of 27 May 2014, which renewed UNMISS’s mandate (and which the UK fully supported), demonstrates that, including through requiring UNMISS troops to conduct regular patrols to safeguard the security of communities within high-risk areas. It also provides for civilian expertise to support and complement the work of the military troops and formed police units in monitoring and investigating human rights abuses.

Sri Lanka

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 377W, on Sri Lanka, what assessment he has made of the suitability of President Rajapaksa to serve as Chair in Office of the Commonwealth.

William Hague: The position of Chair in Office, which is occupied by the host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for two years after the event, was formally created in 2009. No formal guidance exists on the role. The decision for Sri Lanka to host CHOGM, and become Chair in Office thereafter, was taken at CHOGM in 2009. There has been no consensus among member states to revisit this decision.

Sudan

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the president of Sudan regarding the death sentence given to Meriam Yehya Ibrahim.

Mark Simmonds: The President of Sudan is indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and has refused to co-operate. In common with other EU countries, we have a policy of having no contact with fugitives from the ICC unless it is essential. However, we have raised Meriam's conviction in the strongest terms with Sudanese Ministers, including by summoning the Chargé d’Affaires to the Foreign Office on 19 May2014, at the request of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). Immediately following her conviction, I released a statement describing her conviction as barbaric and calling upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion and international human rights laws as enshrined in their own constitution. The Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), also raised this issue with the Foreign Minister of Sudan on 20 May 2014.

Sudan

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Sudanese counterpart on the case of Meriam Ibrahim and the persecution of Christians in that country.

William Hague: I am appalled at the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, and her continued imprisonment. At my request, the chargé d’affaires of the Sudanese embassy in London was summoned to the Foreign Office on 19 May. The Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), also raised our deep concerns with the Sudanese Foreign Minister when she met him on 20 May. Our embassy in Khartoum continues to press the Sudanese authorities for Meriam Ibrahim’s release, and is in close contact with her legal team.
	Along with our international partners, we regularly raise the persecution of Christians and other minorities with the Sudanese Government. We have called on them to respect the right to freedom of religion and international human rights laws as enshrined in their own constitution.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he considers the existing mandate of the UN Special Envoy to Syria is sufficient.

William Hague: The UK fully supports the role of the UN special representative and the efforts to bring about political transition as set out in the Geneva communiqué. The scope of the mandate for Mr Brahimi’s successor is under consideration by the UN.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent presidential elections in Syria on the prospects for future political reconciliation between the Government and Opposition forces.

William Hague: The recent Syrian presidential elections were a parody of democracy designed to sustain the Assad dictatorship, held in the midst of a civil war and extreme regime violence, with millions displaced from their homes and unable to vote. They did not meet even the most basic requirements for free and fair elections.
	We judge that holding these elections was damaging to the political process. This is a view shared by the UN which warned that holding elections
	“will damage the political process and hamper the prospects for political solution that the country so urgently needs.”
	We will continue to support the moderate opposition who have a pluralistic, democratic vision of a future Syria and to create conditions for a future political settlement. A negotiated political transition in Syria, following the principles set out in the Geneva communiqué, is the only way to end the conflict and alleviate Syria’s humanitarian crisis.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 3778W, on Syria, what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of President Assad complying with the agreed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons timetable for the removal and destruction of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

William Hague: The regime has missed all deadlines set by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Executive Council for the removal of chemicals from Syria, including their own deadline of 27 April 2014. Around 7.5% of the materials remain. This means that the 30 June 2014 deadline set by the UN for the elimination of the material can no longer be met. Responsibility for this rests with the regime.
	The functional destruction of Syria's chemical weapon manufacturing capability and the removal of more than 90% of the chemicals used in the programme are significant achievements. However, Syria's failure to meet the deadlines for removal of the remaining chemicals is unacceptable. The UK and partners continue to press for the urgent completion of removal operations.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the prospects of achieving a UN Security Council resolution referring Syria to the International Criminal Court.

William Hague: On 22 May 2014 Russia and China vetoed a resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, despite it having overwhelming international support, including from 13 members of the UN Security Council, 65 co-sponsors, over 100 non-governmental organisations from across the world and the Syrian National Coalition.
	Nonetheless, we need to ensure that those responsible for atrocities in Syria are held to account. Russia and China cannot indefinitely shield those responsible for horrific crimes. The UK is funding efforts to document war crimes and crimes against humanity, and we are pressing for an expansion of EU sanctions to cover those responsible.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with other countries in the (a) EU and (b) UN about a potential candidate to replace the outgoing UN Special Envoy to Syria.

William Hague: Since Mr Brahimi stepped down we have had discussions with the UN and with a number of EU partners about arrangements for a successor. The appointment is still under consideration by the UN secretary-general.

Syria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on plans to carry out a fact-finding mission in Syria to establish the source of the Kafr Zita chemical weapons attack on 11 April 2014.

Hugh Robertson: The UK was among the first to express concern at allegations that chemical weapons had again been used in Syria, and called for them to be investigated.
	On 29 April the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General announced he was establishing a fact-finding mission to determine the truth behind recent allegations of chemical weapon use in Syria. The UK has continued to stress the importance of this mission determining the full facts.
	We are aware of at least nine attacks in April in which the use of chemical weapons has been alleged. We consider it likely that chemical weapons have been used on at least some of these occasions. There are a number of pieces of information that suggest that only the regime could have been responsible for these attacks, including the use of helicopters to deliver bombs to their targets and the fact that the attacks took place in opposition controlled areas. We have shared the information we hold with the OPCW.
	We condemn the attack on the convoy carrying inspectors to Kafr Zita and urge all parties to the conflict to ensure that inspectors are given secure and unrestricted access to all relevant sites to enable the full facts to be established.

Syria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to investigate what the source of the chemical weapons attack in Kafr Zita on 11 April 2014 was.

Hugh Robertson: The UK was among the first to express concern at allegations that chemical weapons had again been used in Syria, and called for them to be investigated.
	On 29 April the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General announced he was establishing a fact-finding mission to determine the truth behind recent allegations of chemical weapon use in Syria. The UK has continued to stress the importance of this mission determining the full facts.
	We are aware of at least nine attacks in April in which the use of chemical weapons has been alleged. We consider it likely that chemical weapons have been used on at least some of these occasions. There are a number of pieces of information that suggest that only the regime could have been responsible for these attacks, including the use of helicopters to deliver bombs to their targets and the fact that the attacks took place in opposition controlled areas. We have shared the information we hold with the OPCW.
	We condemn the attack on the convoy carrying inspectors to Kafr Zita and urge all parties to the conflict to ensure that inspectors are given secure and unrestricted access to all relevant sites to enable the full facts to be established.

Ukraine

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on progress on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

William Hague: The March European Council held an in- depth discussion on the situation in Ukraine, and the political chapters of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement were signed on 21 March. At the March European Council the EU and member states also restated their commitment to signing the remainder of the Association Agreement with Ukraine.
	The 14 April and 15 May Foreign Affairs Committees agreed Conclusions which reiterated the EU's commitment to sign the remaining provisions of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, as soon as possible after the presidential elections which took place on 25 May.

Ukraine

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the newly-elected Ukranian President about the support the UK can offer to stabilise the situation in that country.

William Hague: The Prime Minister spoke to President Petro Poroshenko on 29 May, when he congratulated him on his election victory and praised the Ukrainian people for their determination to hold elections in such difficult circumstances and choose their own future. I also did so when I met him on 6 June. The Prime Minister praised Mr Poroshenko’s clear messages on democracy, as well as financial and political reform, and offered his continued support in helping him to build a secure and prosperous Ukraine, through an inclusive national dialogue.

Ukraine

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the recent presidential elections in Ukraine on the political situation in that country; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Petro Poroshenko won the 25 May Presidential elections with almost 55% of the vote. The high turn-out demonstrated the Ukrainian people's determination to decide their own future without outside interference, and has sent a decisive signal of their desire for unity, reform and a new future for their country. Illegal armed groups sought to deny the citizens of Donetsk and Luhansk their right to vote. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), paid tribute to election commission staff in the region who were subjected to appalling levels of intimidation by these armed groups, and also to the citizens in eastern Ukraine who overcame all obstacles to vote or who tried to do so.
	In his inaugural speech on 7 June, Mr Poroshenko committed to reach out to all regions, to normalise relations with Russia, and to work to restore stability and calm. Under his leadership, we hope that Ukraine can now move forward with reconciliation and much needed reform.
	The UK remains firmly committed to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the whole of Ukraine. We look forward to working with Mr Poroshenko and the Ukrainian Government in their efforts to build a safe, independent and prosperous country.

Venezuela

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of violations of (a) human rights, (b) civil rights and (c) property rights in Venezuela; what recent discussions (i) HM Ambassador, (ii) officials in his Department and (iii) Ministers in his Department have had with the Government of Venezuela about human rights in that country; what responses have been received; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred since protests started in February, and condemn all acts of violence. I am concerned by reports of excessive use of force in protests, and of armed groups using violence, and I call on all sides to show restraint.
	I wrote to the Venezuelan ambassador, and most recently to Mr Alvaro Sanchez, the chargé d’affaires, on 24 March 2014 to raise my concerns and to emphasise the need for a peaceful dialogue. I have also spoken to Ministers across the region, including during my recent visit to South America, to reiterate this message. In addition, as recently as 6 June, the Director for Americas raised human rights with opposition and civil society representatives during a visit to Caracas. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials maintain a regular dialogue with the Venezuelan embassy in London regarding these issues.

Venezuela

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the United Nations the issue of violations of (a) human rights, (b) civil rights and (c) property rights in Venezuela; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred since protests started in February, and condemn all acts of violence. I am concerned by reports of excessive use of force in protests, and of armed groups using violence, and I call on all sides to show restraint. I am also aware that legal action and investigations are under way. It is critical that due process is followed.
	I support the efforts by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Vatican to support and advise on dialogue between the parties. I have spoken to colleagues in the region, including during my recent visit to South America, to urge their Governments to promote dialogue. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has already called on all actors to engage in a dialogue aimed at finding common ground. The UK has no current plans to raise the situation further at the United Nations.
	I will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his sources of advice are on security and terrorism in the part of Western Sahara not occupied by Morocco.

Hugh Robertson: We are open to all relevant sources of information on security and terrorism east of the Berm including MINURSO, which has a presence in this area.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations: Islam

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants his Department has made to Muslim organisations to support integration and community cohesion, by organisation, in each year since May 2010.

Stephen Williams: My Department is willing to work with all faith communities represented in the United Kingdom who are committed to integration. The Department for Communities and Local Government funds three programmes designed to encourage people of different faiths to come together at local and national level in dialogue and shared endeavour. These are Near Neighbours (operated by the Church Urban Fund), Together in Service (operated by FaithAction) and support for the work of the Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom. Muslims are among the faith groups that are involved in and benefit from these programmes.
	We do not have specific pre-allocated budgets for working with individual faiths.

Council Tax

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to apply the referendum provisions regarding council tax rises to parish and town councils; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 5 February 2014, Official Report, columns 19-21WS in particular the section on town and parish councils, which states:
	“We have not determined principles for local precepting authorities in 2014-15, but we are putting on notice that we are prepared if necessary to apply the referendum thresholds to larger town and parish councils from 2015-16 onwards to provide protection for local taxpayers and extend the principle of direct democracy.”

Fire Services: Pensions

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of maintaining existing pension provisions for firefighters (a) who have achieved 20 years of service and are within 10 years of normal retirement age and (b) who have achieved 20 years of service.

Brandon Lewis: No assessment has been made of the annual cost of maintaining existing pension provisions for firefighters who have achieved 20 years of service. However, the Government Actuary's Department has previously approximated that, ignoring the effects of any tapered protection, to alter the transitional protections to apply only to firefighters who, as at 1 April 2012, were aged at least 40 and had 20 or more years pensionable service would increase the capital cost of the 1992 scheme protections by around £50 million.
	Any firefighter who is within 10 years of their current normal pension age, as at 1 April 2012, will remain in their existing pension scheme irrespective of length of service. A greater proportion of firefighters are protected than for any other large public service work force.

Fire Services: Pensions

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish details of alternative proposals for fire fighter pensions which have been considered by his Department.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 152W.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Government's business rates relief fund for flooded businesses has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by businesses to date.

Brandon Lewis: As at 2 June 2014, 979 businesses were in receipt of a business rates relief from their local authority as a result of the impact of flooding. There are no set or advance allocations to councils. The fund works by councils retrospectively claiming back the cost of the business rate relief (in the same way, for example, as the Bellwin Scheme has always worked). 66 local authorities recently submitted claims for reimbursement; the deadline for applications was 26 May. Subject to data checking, we expect reimbursement payments in the region of £4 million to be made shortly.
	Further information on the available flood support schemes is available on the gov.uk website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses

Housing: Construction

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the proportion of new homes planned for construction in 2014-15 that will be (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.

Stephen Williams: DCLG does not collect information on the number of wheelchair-accessible or lifetime homes standard planned for 2014-15.

Housing: Construction

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total (a) amount of funding from the public purse for new housing developments and (b) number of dwellings built using funds from the public purse in each local authority area was in each of the last 10 years.

Kris Hopkins: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I am pleased to report that the statistics on affordable housing starts and completions funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority for April 2013 to March 2014 were released on 12 June 2014 and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/affordable-housing-starts-and-completions-april-2013-to-march-2014
	This shows that almost 200,000 new affordable homes have been delivered in England since April 2010.
	Numbers of affordable housing delivered by each local authority between 2010-11 and 2013-14 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-housing-delivery-by-local-authority-district

Housing: Pest Control

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which (a) unitary and (b) district councils in England (i) remove rats and mice from domestic properties free of charge, (ii) charge for removal of rats and mice from domestic properties and (iii) do not offer this service for domestic properties.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not collect any information on the provision of such services.

Local Government

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local authorities have had their core strategy approved to date; and how many such strategies were approved on the first submission.

Nicholas Boles: Our streamlined National Planning Policy Framework strongly encourages areas to get up-to-date Local Plans in place, and we have been actively supporting councils in doing so. Local Plans set the framework for planning decisions, whether locally or at appeal, and put councils in the best place to decide development in their area.
	As of 30 May 2014, 54% of local authorities have adopted a core strategy. 77% have at least reached publication stage. In May 2010, only 17% of local authorities had adopted a core strategy.
	The examination process tests the submitted plan to ensure that it is sound. Following the Localism Act 2011, independent Planning Inspectors report to the local authority and identify any conflicts between the submitted plan and national policy and regulatory process. Councils are able to suggest their own modifications for assessment by the Inspector during the examination, as well as making minor non-material changes themselves. They can also ask the Inspector to recommend changes. The council is then free to choose to accept the Inspector’s recommendations and adopt the plan, or resubmit a new plan.
	This approach is aimed at encouraging a more collaborative process as the public examination proceeds. We have encouraged Inspectors to be pragmatic in making recommendations that will allow early adoption of sound plans which meet national policy requirements.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23 April 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr S Kneale.

Brandon Lewis: A response was sent on 9 June.

Non-domestic Rates: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire have qualified for the full £1,000 business rates discount to date.

Brandon Lewis: At the autumn statement, we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for smaller shops, pubs and restaurants. We do not hold figures for numbers benefiting from that measure in the Ashfield constituency. However, based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded, we estimate that 420 properties will benefit within the boundary of Ashfield district council, 400 in Bassetlaw district council, 250 in Broxtowe borough council, 370 in Gedling borough council, 460 in Mansfield district council, 500 in Newark and Sherwood district council, 320 in Rushcliffe borough council and 1,000 in Nottingham unitary authority.
	The support package also included a 50% discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014-15, and allowing businesses to spread their rates payments over 12 months.

Urban Areas

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from the public purse was provided to support high streets (a) in total and (b) by local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Since 2010 we have spent or committed £18.53 million funding from the public purse to support high streets. This support has included: direct funding, support and advice for 23 Portas Pilots and 333 Town Team Partners; the High Streets Innovation Fund, supporting 100 towns with the highest empty property rates and those affected by the riots; the High Street Renewal Awards; the Business Improvement Districts Loan Fund; and support for the Love Your Local Market campaign.
	In addition, the Chancellor announced a £1 billion Business Rates support package in the autumn statement, which includes a 2% in Retail Price Index increase in business rates for 2014-15, a discount of £1,000 for smaller retail premises, which will benefit around 300,000 shops, pubs and restaurants, and a 50% discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops, bringing them back into use.
	The doubling of small business rate relief has been extended for another year. This measure was worth £900 million to small businesses in 2012-13, trebled from 2010.
	It is not possible to provide a breakdown of funding by local authority area for each of the last 10 years due to disproportionate cost.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration her Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Theresa Villiers: My Department receives procurement services from the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD). The consideration given to diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering the bids for commercial contracts or grants will be in line with their respective policies and procedures.

SCOTLAND

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the (a) scope, (b) date of commissioning, (c) date of polling and (d) cost of polling commissioned by his Department on attitudes in Scotland towards Scottish independence and related matters since May 2011.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not commissioned any polling on attitudes in Scotland toward Scottish independence and related matters.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the findings of all market research on attitudes in Scotland towards Scottish independence and related matters commissioned by his Department since May 2011.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not commissioned any market research on attitudes in Scotland toward Scottish independence and related matters.

Sovereignty

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans his Department has to commission polling on attitudes in Scotland towards Scottish independence and related matters before 18 September 2014; and what the (a) scope and (b) value of each such contract is.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no plans to commission any polling on attitudes in Scotland toward Scottish independence and related matters.

WALES

UK Trade & Investment

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the success of UK Trade & Investment in relation to Welsh exports; and if he will make a statement.

David Jones: UK Trade & Investment provides invaluable support for Welsh businesses looking to gain access to international markets. It is encouraging that the recent trends show Welsh exports outperforming the other nations and regions in the UK, with the value of Welsh exports increasing by 9.9% over the past year compared to 0.5% across the UK as a whole.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Stephen Crabb: None.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Homicide: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many homicide prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service undertook in 2013 where there were (a) three defendants, (b) four defendants, (c) five defendants and (d) six or more defendants.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of defendants in its prosecutions. This information could be obtained only by examining all homicide files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Legal Profession

Keith Vaz: To ask the Attorney General what the cost to the public purse was of external lawyers employed by (a) the Serious Fraud Office and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014 to date.

Oliver Heald: The amounts spent by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on external lawyers in each of the last four financial years is shown in the following table. Both organisations’ financial reporting systems are configured to provide information based on financial rather than calendar years.
	
		
			 Expenditure on external lawyers 
			 £ 
			  CPS SFO 
			 2010-11 139,219,000 4,523,561 
			 2011-12 115,329,000 4,822,253 
			 2012-13 118,908,000 5,956,633 
			 2013-14 122,929,000 19,077,467 
		
	
	The SFO figures include the cost of external counsel, TSol and other legal fees, but do not include temporary agency staff. The SFO spend on counsel fees is published in its annual report. The increased figures for 2012-13 and 2013-14 reflect the revised treatment of VAT on some fees, repayment of some VAT which had been incorrectly recovered in earlier years, and costs relating to some very large cases and other litigation.
	The SFO’s requirement for additional expenditure in 2013-14 has already been set out to the House in documentation published around its Spring Supplementary Estimate, which has been scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee. The nature of the SFO’s work means that it can occasionally incur significant additional legal expenses for its very largest and most complex investigations and prosecutions, such as that into Libor.
	The CPS figures are drawn from the CPS’s core financial accounting system and they are consistent with the CPS’s audited accounts. The great majority of fees for legal work paid by the CPS relates to the services of self-employed barristers and solicitors for Crown court casework. The CPS also engages barristers and solicitors to undertake advocacy as agents in magistrates courts sessions and, occasionally, to provide legal advice on discrete areas of specialist policy.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will deposit in the Library data gathered by Crown Prosecution Service Business Area of prosecutions and convictions for (a) rape-flagged offences, (b) domestic violence, (c) child abuse and (d) human trafficking for each year since 2008.

Oliver Heald: The requested data have been deposited in the Library of the House together with explanatory notes.

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of unduly lenient sentences were (a) referred to his Department, (b) taken up by him and (c) upheld in court since 2010 where the offender whose sentence was the subject of the appeal could have been released prior to the conclusion of the case if there had been a delay in the commencement of proceedings by (i) 14 days, (ii) 28 days, (iii) 42 days and (iv) 62 days; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Offenders whose sentences were referred to the AGO Number of offenders whose sentences were referred by the Law Officers to the Court of Appeal Cases withdrawn Sentencesincreased 
			 2010 342 90 13 60 
			 2011 377 121 4 94 
			 2012 435 88 6 62 
			 2013 498 79 9 61 
			 20141 247 44 2 216 
			 1 Up to 11 June 2014. 2 Out of a total of 21 sentences considered by the Court of Appeal up to 11 June 2014. 
		
	
	My office does not hold information on the release date of offenders who have been referred to the Court of Appeal.

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General how many times an appeal made against an unduly lenient sentence in the last five years has led to someone being returned to prison who had already been released.

Oliver Heald: This information is not collated centrally and obtaining it would require my office to manually consider each file over the last five years, which would involve a disproportionate cost.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997;
	(2)  how many people have been charged under (a) section 2A and (b) section 4A of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997 in each police force in England and Wales since those sections came into force.

Oliver Heald: The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into effect on 25 November 2012 and introduced two new offences of stalking into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 under S2A and S4A. A table showing the number of offences charged and prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under sections 2A and 4A that reached a first hearing in a magistrates court since these sections came into force has been deposited in the Library of the House. The data provided shows only the number of offences, not the number of people charged.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney General 
	(1)  in respect of how many alleged offences under section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are active in magistrates courts in England and Wales;
	(2)  in respect of how many alleged offences under section (a) 2A and (b) 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are active in magistrates and crown courts in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of particular offences that are currently active in either magistrates or crown courts in England and Wales.
	The CPS case management system does, however, record the number of finalised cases which reached a first hearing in the magistrates court as follows:
	
		
			   2012-13 2013-14 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(i) and (5) } Stalking involving fear of violence 9 65 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(ii) and (5) } Stalking involving serious alarm / distress 10 149 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 2A(1) and (4) } Stalking 72 529 
		
	
	There is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the offence at finalisation.

Treasury Solicitor's Department

Keith Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General how many lawyers were employed in the Treasury Solicitor's Department in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014 to date.

Oliver Heald: The following figures give the number of lawyers employed in the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), as at 31 March each year and to date for 2014.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent 
			 31 May 2014 910 
			 31 March 2013 572 
			 31 March 2012 565 
			 31 March 2011 464 
			 31 March 2010 451 
		
	
	The figures given are for permanent staff.
	Since 2010 TSol has been engaged on a process of transferring lawyers from other departments to TSol as part of the Shared Legal Services Programme. Sharing legal services brings considerable benefits including greater flexibility and resilience, more efficient deployment of legal resources, more opportunities for savings and improved knowledge sharing, which in turn supports consistency of legal advice across Government.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Attorney-General how many parliamentary questions tabled to the Law Officers' Departments in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Oliver Heald: None.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Civil Partnerships

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has to enable civil partnerships to be amended to marriage without recourse to a separate legal process.

Helen Grant: Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 provides that civil partners may convert their civil partnership into marriage under regulations to be made by the Secretary of State, and that the resulting marriage will be treated as having subsisted since the date the civil partnership was formed. Civil partnerships and marriage are separate legal institutions so a process is required for conversion. We are working hard to ensure that couples wanting to convert their civil partnerships into marriages are able to do so as soon as possible. We aim to do this before the end of 2014.
	These aspects of implementing the Act take longer because they involve developing and implementing completely new procedures and processes. This contrasts with the work to make new marriages for same-sex couples possible, where we were able to build on existing processes so implementation was more straightforward.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

General Election 2010

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the postal vote turnout was as a proportion of all votes cast in each UK parliamentary constituency at the 2010 general election.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has placed the answer to the hon. Member's question in the Library.

TREASURY

A120

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will add to the National Infrastructure Plan a scheme to upgrade and improve the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey.

Danny Alexander: This Government recognise the importance of transport infrastructure to support the economy and, as set out in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013, has already announced over £28 billion of funding for enhancements and maintenance of national and local roads.
	The specific schemes identified in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013 have the ability to complete or begin their construction in the next Parliament. Proposals for improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey are not yet sufficiently developed to be included in the Highways Agency pipeline of future projects, and are therefore not currently included in the National Infrastructure Plan.
	However, the A120 is being looked at by the Highways Agency as part of its work on the East of England Route Strategy, which will look to determine the nature, need and timing of future investment that might be required. I would encourage you to engage with the Highways Agency's route strategy process.

Child Benefit: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in each constituency in Northern Ireland were in receipt of child benefit during 2013.

Nicky Morgan: The latest information on the number of families receiving child benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication “Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis. August 2013”. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286670/Child_Benefit_statistics_geographical_analysis_August_2013.xls
	Table 6 has this information by Westminster parliamentary constituency.

Income Tax: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire paid the top rate of income tax in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Statistics on the number of additional rate income tax payers liable to pay by Government office regions, including the east midlands, are published in HMRC’s income tax statistics, table 2.2:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/306856/Table_2.2.pdf
	County and constituency-level information on additional rate tax payers is not published.

Insurance Companies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses (a) applied for and (b) were granted authorisation as insurers in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority are responsible for overseeing the authorisation of insurance companies. The Treasury does not publish data on authorisations of insurance providers.
	This question has been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and they will reply directly to my hon. Friend by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mapeley

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the profitability and financial position of Mapeley Steps Contractor Limited in its role of managing the HM Revenue and Customs estate.

David Gauke: HMRC monitors the financial position of its key suppliers under agreed transparency arrangements. HMRC is unable to provide confidential financial information relating to its suppliers.

Private Finance Initiative

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of introducing tax-rate floors to contracts involving private finance initiative arrangements.

Danny Alexander: In December 2012, the Government launched Private Finance 2 (PF2). PF2 introduces significant reforms to the private finance initiative (PFI) and gives a new approach to the delivery of public infrastructure. It is based on the outcomes of a wide call for evidence held across both the public and private sectors.
	The Government seek to ensure that the UK tax system is competitive for all companies and that the UK is an attractive place to do business, while retaining proportionate anti-avoidance protection.
	A special purpose vehicle set up for the purposes of delivering a PFI project is no different from any other corporate entity and is therefore required to pay corporation tax in accordance with Government rules.

Property: Taxation

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total number of properties (a) in the UK and (b) in the Greater London region affected by a levy on a property's value of above a (i) £2 million and (ii) £5 million threshold.

David Gauke: I refer the right hon. Member to my answers of 12 May 2014, Official Report, column 332W and 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 529W. The number of residential properties in the UK valued at more than £2 million was estimated before Budget 2012 to be around 55,000.
	The Treasury does not have a precise regional breakdown of properties worth over £2million.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to promote discussions between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Network Rail on the construction of new parking facilities for Dover Priory Railway Station on land currently owned by HMRC.

David Gauke: Previous replies have explained that HMRC does not own the Priory Court Site but occupies it as part of the STEPS PFI agreement with Mapeley. However, HMRC has taken part in discussions between Mapeley and Network Rail at the Priory Court Dover site on proposals for the construction of a multi-storey car park on land adjacent to Priory Court not owned by either Mapeley or HMRC. Further discussions of future proposals have been between Mapeley as the freehold owner of Priory Court and Network Rail.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to respond to Mapeley Estates, agents for the Custom House site, on the development of the new parking facilities at Dover Priory Railway Station.

David Gauke: HMRC has taken part in discussions between Mapeley and Network Rail at the Priory Court Dover site on proposals for the construction of a multi- storey car park on land adjacent to Priory Court not owned by either Mapeley or HMRC. Further discussions of future proposals have been between Mapeley as the freehold owner of Priory Court and Network Rail. HMRC has no outstanding inquiries from Mapeley.

Self-employed

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) mean and (b) median age was of people who were registered as self-employed in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

David Gauke: The average age of self-employed individuals in the UK is 46-years-old. This median age is also 46-years-old and these figures are consistent across the three years from 2009-10 to 2011-12.
	These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for the years concerned. The SPI for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

Self-employed

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and how many of them reported net income (i) of zero and (ii) below the threshold for National Insurance in each year.

David Gauke: Estimates of the numbers of individuals with self employment sources are published in HMRC’s National Statistics table 3.10 which is available at the following internet address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-of-individuals-with-self-employment-sources-2010-to-2011
	The numbers of individuals making zero profits and at other income levels is also shown in these tables.
	Tables for 2009-10 and earlier years are available from the National Archives internet site at the following address:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121102223513/http:/hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm
	Overall, these show a long-term trend of growth in the numbers of self-employed people.
	The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what resources will be available for targeted enforcement of the national minimum wage amongst employers in the maritime sector in the next two financial years;
	(2)  if he will outline the content of the service level agreement between his Department and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the work of the HMRC national minimum wage enforcement team; what resources have been allocated to the enforcement team for work in the maritime sector; and what period the agreement covers.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of the national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC reviews every complaint that is referred to it by the pay and work rights helpline (0800 917 2368) including complaints concerning those in the maritime sector. In addition, HMRC conducts targeted compliance activity based on data received from various sources and robust risk assessment processes to identify the sectors and employers across the United Kingdom that are considered more likely to be failing to pay NMW.
	The service level agreement between Departments is currently under review. Resources have been agreed for 2014-15 between HMRC and BIS to cover the wide range of enforcement services that HMRC provides. The budget for enforcement activity is considered annually. The agreement does not currently cover the provision of enforcement services by reference to particular sectors.

Tax Avoidance

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory definition of a personal service company to enable HM Revenue and Customs to make a better informed assessment of those using such devices to artificially reduce income tax.

David Gauke: There are currently no plans to create a statutory definition of a personal service company. Working through a personal service company does not indicate that a person is artificially reducing their tax.
	The Government keep all areas of the tax system under review.

Taxation: Offshore Industry

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many internal reports, briefings or analysis papers HM Revenue and Customs has produced on the taxation arrangements for bareboat charters in the oil and gas sector since 2007; and what the findings were of each such report.

Nicky Morgan: HMRC produces reports, briefings and analysis on the tax system as a matter of course.
	More information can be found in the Budget 2014 document and the accompanying publications.

Tourism: Taxation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken through taxation to encourage the tourism industry in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: This Government are committed to helping UK businesses, including those in the tourism industry, grow and create jobs.
	In relation to taxation, we are taking action to reduce the employer NICs burden on small businesses and have created the new employment allowance which is simple to administer, permanent and available to all businesses and charities in the UK. This is reducing their employer NICs bill by up to £2,000 each year. As a result, 450,000 employers will pay no NICs at all in 2014-15.
	At this year’s budget, the Government again took action to support the pub industry, reducing a pint by a penny for the second year in a row. Following last year’s beer duty cut, the British Beer and Pub Association reported that 89% of their members reduced or froze their prices, 76% of their members increased investment, and 51% of their members employed more staff. Also at this year’s Budget we have taken action to stop the previous Government’s alcohol duty escalator and freeze the duty on ordinary cider and on spirits, as well as limiting the increases on wine duty to inflation.
	The Government are also taking targeted action where appropriate. For example, between 2011 and 2015 the Government are investing £50 million (with a further £50 million match-funded by the private sector) into a tactical campaign via VisitBritain, so it can work with the industry to market what the UK has to offer.

VAT

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was received in respect of domestic building works for the remediation of unsafe levels of radon gas in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: This information is not available.

Working Families Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many self-employed people claimed working families tax credit in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people who were classified as self-employed and who claimed working families tax credits (WFTC) in 2010 still claimed WFTC in 2013.

Nicky Morgan: Working family tax credit was abolished in 2003 and replaced by child tax credits (CTC) and working tax credits (WTC).

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics his Department collects on the travel-to-work patterns of staff of airports and airlines; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The Department holds data from the ONS Labour Force Survey on the travel time from home to work, and the method of transport used to travel, for people employed in the passenger and freight air transport industries, as well as those employed in service activities incidental to air transport. These data are published annually in Transport Statistics Great Britain, in tables TSGB0108–TSGB0112, available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-statistics-great-britain-2013
	The survey does not, however, separate out those staff working specifically in airports and airlines.

Cycling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 6W, on cycling, if he will publish the (a) membership and (b) agendas, minutes and attendees of all previous meetings of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum.

Robert Goodwill: The Cycling Stakeholder Forum has met four times: 13 September 2011, 19 March 2012, 26 June 2012, and 30 September 2013.
	Minutes were taken for the first and fourth meetings. The second and third meetings were interactive workshops, so minutes were not appropriate.
	The discussions from the second meeting are summarised in a document jointly agreed by the forum, and this can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5014/cycle-forum-vision.pdf
	At the third meeting stakeholders heard about the new Cycle Safety Fund and reached agreement for a working group to organise an event in Leicester later in the year. Further details of the Cycle Safety Fund can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/15m-boost-to-improve-cycle-accident-hotspots
	and for the Leicester event at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-boost-to-get-england-cycling--2
	All agendas, minutes of the two other meetings, and membership will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Databases

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his Department’s review of unpublished datasets to be completed.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport completed a comprehensive review of datasets held in August 2013 and this was made available via
	www.data.gov.uk
	on 2 September 2013. This included details of 470 datasets including full metadata for all unpublished datasets.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the case officers allocated by HS2 Ltd to assist residents affected by High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd does not currently allocate case officers to residents affected by HS2 but refers their concerns to the appropriate specialist. As stated in their leaflet “HS2 Residents' Charter”, HS2 Ltd will offer a single named case officer when the charter is developed. The leaflet can be viewed on the HS2 Ltd website or is available via HS2 Public Enquiries.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the HS2 Ltd property specialists who are available for private meetings with residents who are affected by High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: The names of the property specialists for anyone seeking advice on compensation are published in the factsheet "Your Guide to the HS2 Express Purchase Scheme". The factsheet can be viewed on the HS2 Ltd website or is available via HS2 Public Enquiries.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the properties that have been purchased to date by HS2 Ltd; what the total purchase price was in each case; whether they have been rented out or rented back to the former owners; and what the rent being paid is.

Robert Goodwill: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Rental information has been summarised in order to protect the privacy of tenants.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the public consultation will begin on the home owner payment for properties in rural areas 120 to 300 metres from High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: As set out in the Decision Document: Property Compensation Consultation 2013 for the London-West Midlands HS2 route, the Government will consult on the home owner payment over the summer. We will communicate the start date as soon as it is decided.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all personnel employed by HS2 Ltd by grade, their salary scale and their immediate previous employer.

Robert Goodwill: Information relating to personnel employed by HS2 Ltd, their grades and salary scales is shown in the following table. We are withholding information relating to previous employers as this is personal information and releasing it would contravene the first principle of the Data Protection Act 1998. Grade 23 and above have no range and individuals are effectively employed on a “spot-rate”. The individuals and their salaries are, however, already published in HS2 Ltd accounts.
	
		
			   Pay ranges 
			 Grade Number of employees Min Median Max 
			 n/a 2 Chief executive   
			 24 1 Director   
			 23 1 Director   
			 21 6 79,484 99,356 119,226 
			 20 3 65,378 76,916 92,299 
			 19 23 59,867 65,854 77,826 
			 18 11 52,696 57,966 68,506 
			 17 44 45,915 50,506 59,689 
			 16 46 40,757 44,832 50,956 
			 15 57 35,704 38,587 44,629 
			 14 23 33,080 36,388 39,696 
			 13 53 29,462 32,408 35,354 
			 12 12 26,056 28,662 31,267 
			 11 52 24,001 26,412 28,813 
			 10 25 21,476 23,623 25,771 
			 Other 1 Apprentice   
			  360

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effect on gateline staffing levels at (a) Birmingham New Street, (b) Coventry and (c) all stations on the London Midland line of London Midland’s proposals to reduce the number of revenue protection staff.

Stephen Hammond: Staffing levels and to which role staff are allocated are matters for the train operator, as long as it continues to deliver the services that meet the requirements of the franchise agreement.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effect on levels of passenger ticket revenue of London Midland’s proposal to reduce the number of revenue protection staff.

Stephen Hammond: London Midland is not currently in receipt of revenue support. Unless revenue was to fall to such an extent that it was to be eligible for such payments, the revenue during this franchise term is entirely its risk. London Midland has assured us that its staff restructuring plans will not prevent it fulfilling its obligations in meeting the requirements of the franchise agreement. Therefore, unless revenue was to fall to the extent that London Midland became eligible for revenue support payments, no further assessment is planned.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effects on (a) industrial relations, (b) rail passenger services and (c) rail franchising policy of London Midland’s staffing proposals.

Stephen Hammond: Staffing levels are a matter for the train operator, as long as it continues to deliver services that meet the requirements of the franchise agreement.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with representatives from Govia on its plan to reduce the number of revenue protection staff working on the London Midland line; what reasons he has been given by Govia for those reductions.

Stephen Hammond: Govia has made us aware of its staffing restructuring plans and the reasoning behind them. It has also provided assurances that these plans will not prevent it from fulfilling its obligations in meeting the requirements of the Franchise Agreement.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the existing contractual obligations to share ticket revenue with other train operating companies through the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system in the current franchise agreement between his Department and Govia for passenger rail services on the London Midland line.

Stephen Hammond: The Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS) is owned by Rail Settlement Plan Ltd, a company administered by the Association of Train Operating Companies and wholly-owned by the train operating companies collectively. It is one of the means of allocating revenue. Under the Ticketing Settlement Agreement, ORCATS is the default allocation method used in respect of any ticket type and flow. However, it is not mandatory, and train operating companies are free to agree a non-ORCATS allocation in respect of particular ticket types and/or flows if they think that the ORCATS model will not produce a fair estimate of true passenger behaviour.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to monitor London Midland's (a) budgeting and (b) contractual relationship with Siemens for maintenance work on the Desiro EMU fleet.

Stephen Hammond: London Midland provides its management accounts to the Department every period. In addition, we receive an annual Business Plan and quarterly forecasts of future revenues and costs for the following 12 months. These are reviewed by qualified management accountants within the Department and challenged with the London Midland senior management team at meetings with a view to assessing the ongoing viability of the TOC.
	Responsibility for monitoring the maintainer rests with the TOC which is responsible for delivering a required performance and availability benchmark through its Franchise Agreement.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of London Midland's current rolling stock is within the scope of the company's fleet maintenance contract with Siemens.

Stephen Hammond: Prior to the delivery of the new class 350/3 trains ordered in 2012, 74 trains (45% of the London Midland fleet) was maintained by Siemens; upon completion of delivery, 84 trains (49% of the fleet) will be maintained by Siemens.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the value of London Midland's rolling stock contract with Angel Trains after the direct award of the franchise for the period September 2015 to June 2017.

Stephen Hammond: Negotiations for the direct award of the West Midlands franchise are yet to commence and the Department has not made any estimate at the value of London Midland’s contract with Angel Trains. It should be noted that the value of rolling stock contracts are a commercial matter between the operator and the rolling stock owner.

London Midland

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the value of London Midland's rolling stock maintenance contract with Siemens after the direct award of the franchise for the period September 2015 to June 2017.

Stephen Hammond: Negotiations for the direct award of the west midlands franchise are yet to commence and the Department has not made any estimate on the value of London Midland’s contract with Angel Trains. It should be noted that the value of rolling stock contracts are a commercial matter between the operator and the rolling stock owner.

Motor Vehicles: Glass

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles have been found to be in breach of rules about tinted windows in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has information broken down relating to the enforcement by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for the most recent year. The following prohibitions were found in the year to March 2014, (a) 710 in England, (b) 62 in the North West and (c) 37 in Lancashire. National totals for the previous four years were, 2013—720, 2012—663, 2011—1,617, 2010—2,364. The Department does not have the Police data for this offence at this time. Enforcement of Construction and Use regulations is a matter for both DVSA and the police.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the Australian compulsory third party Insurance system, through which premiums are paid as part of vehicle registration for its potential applicability in the UK.

Robert Goodwill: No. It is sometimes suggested that a system of centrally funded third party insurance could be introduced in this country. However, insurers have said that a change to such a system would lead to a general increase in premiums, especially for the more careful driver. This is because under such a system a vehicle would have to be insured for all possible drivers, including those considered to be in high-risk categories.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many vehicles registered in another country applications were made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority to register them in the UK in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows figures for the amount of vehicles registered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) that were previously registered elsewhere between 2009 and 2012.
	
		
			  Number of vehicles 
			 2009 65,060 
			 2010 62,373 
			 2011 58,379 
			 2012 57,910 
		
	
	Since 2013 the way that certain vehicle transactions are processed has changed and the data gathered about foreign registered vehicles are no longer readily available. In 2013, the DVLA processed 99,168 applications to register new and previously registered imported vehicles.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of vehicles registered in another country that should have been but were not registered in the UK in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Failure to register a vehicle following the six-month exemption period is not an offence for which a fixed penalty notice can be issued. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency instead writes to keepers of these vehicles offering them an out of court settlement where it appears that an offence has been committed, so that the matter may be resolved without court proceedings. The following table shows the amount of these out of court settlement letters issued in the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Number of OCS issued 
			 2009-10 108 
			 2010-11 83 
			 2011-12 192 
			 2012-13 59 
			 2013-14 84 
		
	
	Since April 2014, 237 out of court settlement letters have been issued.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to improve the reliability of tracking methodologies for foreign (a) registered and (b) unregistered vehicles in the UK.

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) receives information on foreign registered vehicles from the police and other enforcement agencies, as well as from members of the public. Other ways of obtaining this information are currently being explored.
	The DVLA has been working with the police to pilot a new enforcement process. This involves the DVLA providing the police forces with registration numbers of foreign registered vehicles which may have overstayed the six-month exemption period and where the keepers have not complied with UK requirements. This information enables the four police forces involved to seize and impound vehicles that have overstayed, where appropriate. If the pilot is successful, the DVLA will explore the potential for extending it to more police forces.
	The DVLA is also working with other Government agencies to establish what other data might be used to track and identify overstaying foreign registered vehicles.

Network Rail

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced financial penalties as a consequence of poor performance disrupting services on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route;
	(2)  on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced sanctions as a consequence of late running engineering works on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route;
	(3)  on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced financial sanctions as a consequence of delays and disruption to services or poor performance on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route.

Stephen Hammond: The Track Access Contracts between Network Rail and train operators provide for Network Rail to pay compensation to an operator in the event that train services cannot operate or are delayed due to engineering works or disruption outside that operator’s control. The Department does not hold details of the timing or number of such payments, which are a commercial matter between the parties directly concerned, overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes the annual totals of these payments at route level on its data portal:
	https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/345da3b9-b9ac-449a-aace-8298c5b39e2b
	In addition, the Office of Rail Regulation is currently considering whether or not Network Rail should face a penalty in respect of its failure to meet its regulatory targets for the performance of Long Distance and London and South East services during 2013-14.

Railways: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what fuding from the public purse was provided to support (a) infrastructure on each rail route and (b) each rail franchise in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the information at rail route level regarding funding from the public purse provided to support infrastructure. This is a matter for Network Rail and my hon. Friend may wish to contact Network Rail’s Chief Executive at the following address for information relating to her request:
	Mark Carne
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London
	N1 9AG
	The Office of Rail Regulation publishes statistics showing the subsidy paid to, or premia received from, each train operator since 2008-09 at:
	http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/html/html/6d363642-c3a9-4a29-9477-542810798fa7
	The figures for 2006-07 to 2007-08 are published by year at:
	http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/archived-data/orr-archived-national-rail-trends-publications
	Figures for 2005-06 and earlier years were produced on a different basis from those from 2006-07 onwards, so are not directly comparable.

Roads: Expenditure

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public funds were spent on infrastructure improvement works on each road in the strategic road network in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Goodwill: Public expenditure figures for each road on the strategic road network are not available. The Highways Agency publishes annual accounts which are laid before Parliament and are available from the Library of the House and from the Agency’s website at:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/about-us/corporate-documents/strategic-corporate-documents/annual-report-2012-2013/
	Over the last 10 years, total expenditure on the maintenance, management and enhancement of the strategic road network in each year was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2004-05 1,598 
			 2005-06 1,927 
			 2006-07 2,330 
			 2007-08 2,330 
			 2008-09 2,416 
			 2009-10 3,003 
			 2010-11 2,597 
			 2011-12 2,349 
			 2012-13 1,897 
			 2013-14 2,284 
		
	
	Table showing Highways Agency total operational DEL (departmental expenditure limits) excluding accounting items such as depreciation.

Roads: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has provided to each local authority for highways in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Goodwill: I have placed a table in the Libraries of the House which sets out how much each local highway authority has been allocated for highways in the last 10 years.
	This table includes funding we have provided through a number of funding streams including Highways Maintenance Integrated Transport Block, Local Major Projects, Local Pinch Point Fund and Community Infrastructure Fund projects.
	Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways. Neither revenue nor capital highways maintenance block funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.
	The Department is also funding local highways maintenance projects in Portsmouth, Birmingham, Sheffield, Isle of Wight and the London borough of Hounslow through the private finance initiative.

Shipping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the (a) number and (b) gross tonnage was of (i) non-UK owned and (ii) non-UK registered offshore supply vessels operating on the UK Continental Shelf in each year since 2000-01;
	(2)  what the (a) number and (b) gross tonnage was of (i) UK owned and (ii) UK registered offshore supply vessels in each year since 2000-01.

Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency collates a record of vessels registered on the United Kingdom Ship Register (UKSR). It does not hold a record of shipping on the registers of other national administrations, which could include UK owned vessels.
	As of 9 June there were 159 offshore vessels on the UKSR, totalling 556,975 gross tonnage. No historical record is held with the kind of breakdown requested for previous years.
	Neither is a record held of where ships operate, and hence the vessels mentioned above may be operating worldwide, not just on the UK Continental Shelf.

Transport: Expenditure

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure central Government funding for local authority transport projects is properly spent by those authorities.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has set out how it assures itself that the money given to local transport authorities is spent properly in its Accounting Officer System Statement. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/50070/dft-accountability-system-statement.pdf

EDUCATION

Two-tier School System: Bedford

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on funding for the transition to a two-tier school system in Bedford borough.

David Laws: We are not aware of any representations made on this matter.

Special Educational Needs

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to support children with special educational needs.

Edward Timpson: The Children and Families Act—to be implemented from September—introduces the most fundamental reform to the system for SEN and disability for 30 years, placing children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.
	Families will be more involved in decision making and there will be greater clarity about local services provided in each area.
	We’re providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week we announced a further £45.2 million—on top of the £70 million already provided this year—for implementing the reforms.
	We are also providing £30 million over two years to provide independent supporters to families.

School Exclusions: Children with Autism

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the number of children with autism informally excluded from school.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State has received several recent parliamentary questions about the informal exclusion of children with autism. Officials from the Department have also met with Ambitious about Autism in March 2014 to discuss its concerns about this issue, raised in the report, Ruled Out.
	The Government’s view remains clear. No child should be unlawfully excluded. Ofsted and the Department would take seriously evidence that a school had acted unlawfully in excluding a pupil. In addition, most children on the autism spectrum would be considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010. Where disabled children are discriminated against through unlawful exclusion their parents can make a claim to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). The Tribunal has wide-ranging powers, including the power to require the reinstatement of a pupil.
	Awareness of autism and appropriate skills are essential to meeting the needs of autistic children. The reforms we are introducing through the Children and Families Act will provide for earlier and better assessment of children and young people’s needs. We’re also investing more than £3 million of funding over two years to raise awareness of autism and help schools and colleges deliver the support these children and young people need. This includes £1.5 million for the Autism Education Trust to provide tiered training to early years, school and further education college staff, as well as £440,000 to the National Autistic Society, part of which is being used to provide advice to professionals and parents on exclusion.

Arts: GCSE

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many GCSE entries there were in (a) music, (b) drama and (c) art and design in England in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2014-15.

Elizabeth Truss: Information for the 2009/10 academic year is published in the “GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2012 to 2013 (revised)”1 statistical first release.
	Provisional information for the 2013/14 academic year will be available in October 2014 and provisional information for the 2014/15 academic year will be available in October 2015.
	1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2012-to-2013-revised (Subject time series tables)

Design: Curriculum

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account he plans to take of (a) design and (b) technical knowledge in the review of the GCSE/GCE examination course in design and technology.

Elizabeth Truss: The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing subject content for reformed design and technology qualifications. In carrying out this work, they are drawing closely on advice from subject organisations with design and technical expertise. The draft criteria that are developed will be formally consulted on and the evidence gathered will be used to review and finalise the content for the new design and technology qualifications.

Design: Curriculum

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the status and importance of design and technology at Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Design and Technology (D&T) is an important subject that can inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing. Ofsted’s 2011 report, “Meeting technological challenges” found:
	“Most pupils in the primary and secondary schools visited enjoyed designing and making products and gained much satisfaction in acquiring technical skills and in seeing their ideas take shape.”
	During the review of the national curriculum, the Government consulted industry representatives, such as Dyson and the Royal Academy of Engineering, teachers, subject associations and D&T specialists, to ensure the new D&T curriculum is relevant to the modern world. We have strengthened the technological aspects of the subject by including new and emerging technologies, placed greater emphasis on links with STEM subjects to provide a context for their practical application and we are also reforming D&T GCSE and A-levels to include more rigorous content and build on the changes made to the curriculum. The new qualifications will be more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able, and prepare young people better for the demands of employment and further study.

Design: Curriculum

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the review of design and technology GCSE/GCE examination specifications will bring those examinations in line with the revised national curriculum for design and technology.

Elizabeth Truss: The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing new design and technology GCSEs and A-levels. They are ensuring that the content builds on and is in line with the revised design and technology national curriculum.

Design: Education

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have (a) merged design and technology with art and design and (b) removed design and technology from their curriculum since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not collect nor hold the data requested.

Design: Teachers

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what continued professional development assistance is provided to design and technology teachers.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government are committed to raising the quality of teaching in all subjects, including design and technology (D&T). Head teachers and teachers are best placed to make decisions about what professional development they require in order to meet the needs of their pupils and school. A network of teaching schools has been established to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and create more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. The Teachers’ Standards set a clear benchmark for the level of practice expected of all teachers, and provide a valuable tool to help head teachers and teachers identify and address development needs through regular appraisal.
	The D&T expert subject group, set up to provide support to teachers implementing the new D&T curriculum, comprises leading professionals in D&T who work to clarify the key areas on which teachers most need further support, identifying the topics that can present the greatest challenge when discussing with pupils. The group liaises with relevant specialists and providers to develop and produce new resources where necessary. DATA, in partnership with others, has developed a range of resources including an annotated programme of study, providing advice and explanatory notes on implementation.

Faith Schools

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK attended faith schools in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Laws: Education is a devolved matter and data on pupils held by the Department for Education refer to schools in England only. Information on pupils attending state-funded schools in England is collected via the school census. Information on pupils attending independent schools is collected via the school-level annual school census. The latest data are for January 2014.
	In January 2014, the proportion of pupils that attended schools with a religious character declared on Edubase was (a) 50% in Ribble Valley constituency, (b) 45% in Lancashire and (c) 26% in England.

Free School Meals: North-east

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capacity funding for universal infant free school meals has been (a) requested by and (b) disbursed to schools in (i) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (ii) the Sunderland local authority area and (iii) the north-east region.

David Laws: On 18 December 2013, the Government announced capital allocations for universal infant free school meals for the 2014-15 financial year. This included allocations of (a) £562,850 to Sunderland city council and (b) £6.1 million to all local authorities in the north- east region. We do not allocate funding at a constituency level.
	In addition, academies have received capital funding through the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund. This includes allocations of (a) £162,380 to academies within the Sunderland local authority area and (b) £311,608 to academies within the north-east region. Across the country, £2.5 million has also been made available to multi-academy trusts.
	Of the capital funding that has been allocated to Sunderland, the authority has confirmed to the Department that 75% or more has been disbursed to specific projects to support universal infant free school meals. We do not hold information on the precise amount disbursed, and nor do we hold these data at a regional level.

Local Education Authorities: Disclosure of Information

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local education authorities have proper procedures in place to protect whistleblowers.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Communities and Local Government has the overall responsibility for local authorities’ whistleblowing procedures. The Department for Education does take steps to ensure that the schools maintained by local authorities have adequate arrangements.
	Maintained schools are required to submit to their local authorities a Schools Financial Value Standard return. Question 20 of the return requires schools to confirm that all staff are aware of the school’s whistleblowing arrangements and to whom they should raise concerns. The return defines whistleblowing as the confidential raising of problems or concerns within an organisation. The accompanying guidance suggests that schools' arrangements should be based on local authority policies and that staff should be made aware of the protections that are available to them.
	The Department also requires that local authorities’ Schemes for Financing Schools should contain a provision requiring authorities to set out the procedure to be followed by persons working at a school or school governors who wish to complain about financial management or financial propriety at the school, and how such complaints will be dealt with.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2014 Official Report, column 74W, on Members: Correspondence, when he expects to send a substantive reply to the letter of 30 April 2014 from the hon. Member for Walsall North about admissions to Walsall Academy, which was separate from the letter sent to the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency; and for what reason that Answer does not mention that there was separate correspondence on the subject.

Edward Timpson: My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, responded to the hon. Member’s other letter of 30 April about admission arrangements at Walsall academy on 16 June. On behalf of the Department I would like to apologise for the delay in answering this letter.
	My reply of 10 June related to the letter with the reference (2014/0036207) quoted in the question.

Schools: Asbestos

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assistance his Department makes available to schools to survey for and remove asbestos.

David Laws: The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 set out the standards and duties to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises including schools. This includes the need to assess and manage the risks through the formulation of a site-specific asbestos management plan.
	On 24 January I announced the 2014-15 maintenance allocations, which are released as a non-ring-fenced capital grant. The priorities for its use are decided locally and this can include supporting schools with asbestos issues.

Schools: Extra-curricular Activities

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what additional funding his Department makes available to schools to commission extra-curricular activities and projects.

David Laws: The two main grants to schools to fund their day-to-day activities are the Dedicated Schools Grant and the Education Services Grant. The Education Services Grant is given to local authorities to provide education services for pupils in maintained schools, and is given directly to academies. When a school receives either of these grants, the funding is not ring-fenced: the school can spend it as it chooses. Schools are therefore free to decide how much of this funding they want to spend on extra-curricular activities and projects.
	The Department for Education also provides specific ring-fenced funding, through the primary PE and sport premium, for the improvement of PE and sport in primary schools. Headteachers are free to use this funding, an investment of over £150 million a year to 2015/16, to provide extra-curricular clubs for activity and sport, and for sport-related projects.

Schools: Inspections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education within what time period Ofsted is required to provide feedback to a school after it has reported to his Department.

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Schools: Radicalism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the work of local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators in tackling extremism in schools; and how many local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators submitted evaluations or other forms of evidence to his Department in the last year for which information is available;
	(2)  what advice his Department provides to local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators to help identify and tackle extremism in schools; and when this guidance was last updated.

Edward Timpson: Preventing extremism in all schools is a priority for the Government. In 2010 the Department for Education set up the first preventing extremism unit in Whitehall outside the Home Office. Ofsted now trains inspectors to understand and report on extremism. The Department has published a range of guidance to support schools in raising awareness of the risks from extremism.
	Schools can help protect children from extremist and violent views in the same ways that they help to safeguard children from drugs, gang violence or alcohol abuse. Schools' work on Prevent needs to be seen in this context. It is for local authorities to determine how best to support schools in their areas in the light of local circumstances.
	A number of local Prevent projects, funded by the Home Office, engage schools and supplementary schools and train teachers in priority areas. The Department for Education and the Home Office are working together to secure the best practical outcome from this funding. It is the responsibility of the Home Office to evaluate the projects it funds.

Schools: Radicalism

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his statement of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 269, on Birmingham schools, when Ministers of his Department were first made aware of allegations of extremism in schools in Birmingham.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education received the Trojan Horse letter in December 2013. The Secretary of State has asked the permanent secretary to investigate how the Department dealt with warnings both since the formation of this Government in 2010 and before.
	Since receiving a copy of the Trojan Horse letter, the Department has been working closely with agencies such as Birmingham city council, the police and Ofsted. Based on the Department's evidence-gathering, the Secretary of State commissioned inspections by Ofsted and appointed Peter Clarke as Education Commissioner.

Secondary Education: Standards

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of progress 8 performance measures since their introduction in secondary schools.

David Laws: Progress 8 will be the headline secondary school performance measure from 2016. This will be based on qualifications which schools will begin teaching in the autumn term of 2014. The new performance measures aim to encourage schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.
	More schools than ever are entering pupils for the English Baccalaureate, which encourages the study of science, a language and a humanities subject alongside maths and English.

Unemployment: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department has made in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training since May 2010.

Matthew Hancock: Latest quarterly figures published in May show that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET is 6.7%-down a third since 2010 and the lowest on record.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 600W, on Bangladesh, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make it compulsory for all UK clothing companies which use suppliers in Bangladesh to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Accord is an independent and legally binding agreement between unions and international companies that source their clothes from Bangladesh. As such it is not the Government’s place to compel companies to sign up. However as referred to in my previous response, I would very much encourage them to do so, and would encourage consumers to make their expectations clear to the retailers and brands from which they buy their clothes.
	In September 2013 the UK launched its action plan on business and human rights, laying out the expectations for business in line with the UN Guiding Principles. Signing up to the Accord not only demonstrates that companies are serious about their responsibilities but will also help them to ensure that workers in their supply chains are safe and treated properly.

Burundi

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Burundi.

Lynne Featherstone: Burundi is affected by food insecurity, although harvests were above average in 2013. Burundi is also currently host to 121,560 refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) as well as 33,000 Burundian returnees who came back from Mtabila camp in Tanzania following its closure at the end of 2012. Burundi’s high population density creates a challenge for the Government of Burundi to find durable solutions for reintegration of IDPs and returnees. DFID will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and in particular rainfall levels in the north of the country.

Central African Republic

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the emergency response fund for the Central African Republic has so far been dispersed; and which international agencies have received such funding.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID has contributed a total of £23 million in humanitarian aid to the crisis in the Central African Republic since mid-2013, with £700,000 remaining to be distributed according to humanitarian priorities in the coming months.
	DFID allocated £5 million to support NGOs in CAR in November 2013 which was increased in February 2014 to £7 million in light of growing needs. The bulk of funding was awarded to five NGOs: Mentor, Save the Children, Solidarites, Mercy Corps and International Medical Corps. Since DFID makes quarterly payments to NGOs, not all funds have been disbursed.
	In addition, DFID allocated humanitarian funds to the ICRC, Common Humanitarian Fund, UNHAS, UNHCR and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on conditionality of future US development aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo on adherence to constitutional term limits in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: UK Ministers have discussions with their counterparts on a wide range of issues. The terms of US development aid is a matter for the US Government.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with Kellogg’s about its working relationships with small-scale farmers.

Lynne Featherstone: Kellogg’s is not currently one of DFID’s partners on the issue of working relationships with small-scale farmers.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about the effect of their sourcing practices on small-scale farmers in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: We regularly have discussions with UK-based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and how they can improve development impacts.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will request UK-based companies to make publicly available impact studies on how their sourcing practices affect small-scale farmers in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Companies Act 2006 includes reporting requirements for UK-domiciled businesses to report on the social and environmental impacts of their investments. DFID does not lead on UK company reporting, but we are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to support improved transparency and accountability of UK businesses, in particular where they impact on development.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to build resilience and adaptive capacity to climate induced hazards in all vulnerable countries in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK supports the strengthening of early warning and disaster risk reduction systems and related capacities with the aim of building resilience and protecting the poor and those in vulnerable situations from disasters and shocks, including climate-related extreme events.
	The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will, however, be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to hold the increase in global average temperature to a specified temperature to be determined in accordance with international agreements in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK supports a target to hold the increase in global average temperature below a stipulated, though but yet to be agreed, rise in accordance with international agreements. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June 2014.
	The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Diseases

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to end HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases by 2030 in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK supports a target to reduce the burden of disease from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.
	The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Education

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to ensure that all schools and other educational institutions provide safe, healthy, non-discriminatory and inclusive learning environments for all by 2030 in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK supports a stand-alone post-2015 education goal that ensures quality education outcomes for all, and that no one is left behind.
	The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Employment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to promote formalisation of informal sector and employment in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The UK supports formalisation of informal sector activities and employment. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.
	The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Female Genital Mutilation

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to tackle female genital mutilation overseas; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is supporting efforts to end female genital mutilation worldwide by making the largest single donor commitment ever to this issue, with a flagship programme of £35 million over 5 years. We also aim to galvanise unprecedented political commitment for this neglected issue.
	On 22 July, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the and UNICEF will host Girl Summit 2014, an event to bring together community leaders, grassroots organisations, Governments, international organisations and the private sector to build on current efforts and rally a global movement to end FGM and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) in a generation, everywhere, forever.

Developing Countries: Females

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about (i) how they are ensuring women in the supply chain are empowered to get their rights and (ii) whether they have signed up to the UN Women's Empowerment Principles.

Lynne Featherstone: We have regular discussions with UK-based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and women's economic empowerment.

Developing Countries: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid funding the UK has disbursed to support the construction of prisons in each country and in each year since 2008.

Lynne Featherstone: The information necessary to provide a detailed response to your request is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. The information is spread across DFID and other Government Departments, and the data are not sufficiently disaggregated to report purely on the amount spent on construction of prisons.

Syria

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Justine Greening: The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department is giving to local authorities to implement changes to apprenticeship funding.

Matthew Hancock: We are giving employers control of the funding for the training and assessment of the apprenticeships that they design. This will enable them to work directly with education and training providers to secure the most effective training for their apprentices. We will be testing a new funding model via apprenticeship starts in the 2014-15 academic year based on standards developed by our Trailblazer groups of employers. We will develop a comprehensive communication programme for employers (including local authorities) to help them understand the changes.

Apprentices

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with training providers on changes to apprenticeship funding.

Matthew Hancock: Discussions have been held with a wide range of training providers as well with the Association of Training Providers and Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) about our apprenticeship funding reforms. I spoke about this issue at the AELP's National Conference earlier this month.

Apprentices

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason the option of maintaining the current provider-funded model was dropped in his Department's second consultation on funding reform for apprenticeships.

Matthew Hancock: The 2013 consultation on apprenticeship funding reforms sought evidence on the feasibility and impact of three different models for reforming apprenticeship funding. Following consideration of the responses to these, the second consultation sought views on two models—a PAYE model and an apprenticeship credit—that are consistent with an employer-driven apprenticeships system. A pure provider payment model was ruled out, as evidence from the first consultation indicated that this model was the least likely to deliver the intended aim of giving employers true purchasing power.

Business: Ethics

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish the Government's framework for action on corporate responsibility.

Jennifer Willott: The intention to publish a framework for action on corporate responsibility was set out in the call for views on corporate responsibility (CR) which ran during 2013. The response to the call for views was published on 28 March 2014 and this notes that the voluntary, evolving and diverse nature of CR means success relies on a business led approach. We received 152 views from a wide range of stakeholders and, where relevant, these will inform future Government action.

Business: Government Assistance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which schemes have provided support for small and medium-sized from central government funds in each of the last 10 years; what the total amount of funding so provided was in each such year; and how much such funding was spent in each local authority are in each such year.

Matthew Hancock: Support for small and medium-sized businesses is an important objective for a number of Government Departments and schemes can take various forms which can include direct and indirect support, advice and information. Over the last 10 years the range of support measures has been very wide and a full answer to this question cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. Additionally, the Department does not record how much spending or funding is given by local authority area so would not be able to provide this information.
	However, since May 2010 the Department has routinely published details of all expenditure including funding provided through departmental schemes and programmes. Additionally, the Department’s annual report and accounts also provide summary information on a range of programmes that include direct and indirect support to all businesses-including some that directly support SMEs. The most recent annual report can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bis-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013

Directors: Pay

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of his policy on binding votes for remuneration committees.

Jennifer Willott: The Government’s reforms to increase the transparency of executive pay include a requirement that quoted companies put their remuneration policy to a binding vote of the company’s shareholders, at minimum, every three years.
	Shareholders also have an annual advisory vote on the annual remuneration report, covering what has been paid. Where this is rejected, the company will be required to re-submit their remuneration policy to a binding vote at the AGM the following year.
	It is too soon to form firm conclusions about the impact of the Government reforms, which only came into force in October last year.
	The Government are monitoring the impact of the reforms and will be taking stock of their impact after the voting season is over.
	The Government are keeping this policy area under review.

Disabled Students' Allowances: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many recipients of disabled students' allowance there are in (a) Nottingham South, (b) Nottingham and (c) the East Midlands.

David Willetts: Information on students awarded and paid disabled students’ allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education England’. The latest statistics are available at the following link:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf
	A further breakdown for Nottingham South constituency, Nottingham LEA and the east midlands has been provided in the table for the academic year 2012/13. Equivalent figures for the academic year 2013/14 will be available from November 2014.
	
		
			 Students in receipt of disabled students allowance1 from Nottingham South constituency, Nottingham and the east midlandsAcademic year 2012/13 
			  Application type 
			 Area Number of applicants paid 
			  Full-time application Part-time application Post graduate DSA Total 
			 East Midlands Government Region2 4,320 180 330 4,830 
		
	
	
		
			 Nottingham LEA2 280 10 30 330 
			 Nottingham South Constituency2 80 — 10 100 
			 Effective date: 13 November 2013 1 Disabled Student Allowance may be paid to the Student or to a Supplier on the student's behalf. 2 Figures are derived from the Post Code of the applicant's home address. Notes: 1. The effective date is that of the November 2013 Awards Statistical First Release. The figures are therefore provisional and do not include students who were awarded DSA after November 2013. 2. DSA Payments may be made at any point during the Academic Year or after the end of the Academic Year. 3. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add to the sum of the components due to rounding. 4. '—' represents a number less than 5.

European Fighter Aircraft

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether a Minister will be responsible for preparing the Department's response to the Belgian Government's request for information regarding the Typhoon as a successor to their F-16 fleet;
	(2)  when he intends next to discuss the possibility of Typhoon sales to Belgium with his counterpart in that country;
	(3)  when (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department last met representatives of BAE to discuss Typhoon exports;
	(4)  how many officials in his Department he expects to be involved in preparing the Department's response to the Belgian Government's request for information regarding the Typhoon as a successor to their F-16 fleet;
	(5)  whether he intends to ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence for assistance in pursuing export sales of Typhoon to Belgium.

Michael Fallon: The Eurofighter Typhoon programme is carried out in partnership with the Governments of Germany, Italy and Spain. This includes cooperation on exports. The Government of Belgium has expressed an interest in Typhoon as well as other competing aircraft as a potential replacement for their F-16 fleet. UK Trade and Investment have been invited, to participate in preliminary discussions at official level on Typhoon. United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) officials are working with colleagues across Government, in the partner nations and with Eurofighter GmbH to coordinate a response.
	Within UK Government work on Typhoon export campaigns is led by UKTI, but HMG takes a collaborative approach to defence exports and so all campaigns are a cross departmental effort. Information on staffing numbers is not therefore available centrally.
	Ministerial responsibility for UKTI rests with my noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment My noble Friend reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, as the two responsible Cabinet Ministers.
	Information regarding Ministers’ meetings is published by the Department on the internet:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data
	The Minister of State for Trade and Investment discussed Typhoon exports during his meeting with BAES on 18 December 2013. The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has no immediate plans to meet his Belgian counterpart.

Higher Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in Warrington North constituency (a) applied for and (b) started a degree course in each year since 2010.

David Willetts: The latest available information on applicants is shown in Table 1. UCAS has not released any data on applications from individual constituencies for the 2014 application cycle, but the latest figures for total applicants to all UK institutions (published on 30 May) show that they have risen by 4%, compared to the same point in 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: UCAS applicants to full-time undergraduate courses from Warrington North constituency 
			  Year of entry 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Applicants 810 845 765 680 
			 Source: UCAS. 
		
	
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The number of entrants to UK HEIs who were domiciled in Warrington North constituency prior to starting their course is shown in Table 2. HESA figures for 2013/14 will be available in January 2015. There are differences in the coverage of UCAS and HESA: the UCAS figures cover applicants to higher education institutions (HEIs), further education colleges (FECs), and alternative providers (APs) of HE in the UK; the HESA figures cover HEIs only, plus the university of Buckinghamshire. Not all applicants apply via UCAS: some apply directly to institutions. In addition, some applicants who obtain a place via UCAS opt to defer entry until the following year.
	
		
			 Table 2: Entrants1 domiciled2 in Warrington North constituency, UK higher education institutions, academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13 
			 Domicile 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Warrington North constituency 1,330 1,220 965 
			 1 Entrants refers to students in their first year of study, on full-time and part-time courses, at undergraduate and postgraduate level. 2 Domicile refers to a students’ home or permanent address prior to starting their course. Source: HESA Student Record.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which there is a gender imbalance in the composition of local enterprise partnership boards.

Michael Fallon: Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves and they are best placed to ensure it meets the needs of their businesses and local people.

Minimum Wage

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 130W, on minimum wage, if he will take steps to provide (a) clear and comprehensive guidance on the national minimum wage on gov.uk and (b) sector-specific guidance and case studies on the national minimum wage for the entertainment sector.

Jennifer Willott: Since May 2013, we have introduced clear and comprehensive guidance on gov.uk on the national minimum wage and more specifically on work experience and internships. This guidance can be found here:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage
	and
	www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships
	This guidance on work experience contains case studies from a variety of sectors, including the entertainment sector.
	Employers and workers with queries about the application of the national minimum wage are also able to access free and confidential advice through the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

Mining

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the importance of transparency in the extractive industries.

Jennifer Willott: The coalition Government believe strongly that transparency in the extractives sector is essential to ensure that citizens in resource-rich countries can benefit from the wealth generated from the extraction of their natural resources. This is why we supported the EU’s proposal to require large and listed extractive industries companies to report on the payments they make to governments; and why the UK has signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
	The Government continue to raise awareness of the importance of transparency in the extractive industries. Over the past year key steps have been taken to raise awareness of the UK’s commitment to become EITI-compliant. This includes the launch event in July 2013 held at BIS with 130 attendees from industry, civil society and government. The Multi Stakeholder Group (MSG) has been formed which plays a key part in making the decisions on UK implementation. A website for the UK’s EITI has been developed, a link can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-extractive-industries-transparency-initiative-multi-stakeholder-group
	My hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), published an article in the EITI Telegraph supplement on Sunday 6 October 2013, explaining the UK’s rationale for committing to EITI. Most recently, the Prime Minister in an article dated 4 June and published in The Wall Street Journal, called on Government leaders to work towards a global standard in transparency reporting.
	I spoke at the EITI mining event which took place at the Institute for Materials, Minerals & Mining (IMMM) on the 12 June. This event was directed at key mining stakeholders who we need to engage in EITI.
	During the consultation period of Chapter 10 of the Accounting Directive my department held familiarisation sessions with stakeholders which provided an opportunity to learn more about the reporting requirements of the Directive and explain the UK’s proposed approach to implementation. The consultation closed on Friday 16 May and officials are currently analysing the responses received.
	The Government will take every opportunity to drive forward this important agenda.

National Vocational Qualifications

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) women and (b) men aged 24 and above applied for financial assistance for NVQ levels 3 and 4 in the first and second academic quarters in each year since 2008.

Matthew Hancock: The information is not readily available.

New Businesses: Loans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme there are in each region.

Matthew Hancock: The number of approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme by region are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 England (National) 15 
			 Greater London 11 
			 North West 8 
			 North East 4 
			 East of England 2 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 6 
			 West Midlands 5 
			 East Midlands 4 
			 South East 4 
			 South West 2 
			 Northern Ireland 5 
			 Wales 6 
			 Scotland 5

New Businesses: Loans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Start-up loan applications have been supported by each approved provider of Start-up loan mentoring services in each region in which the new company was based or planned to be based. [Official Report, 17 June 2014, Vol. 582, c. 3MC.]

Michael Fallon: All loan recipients in all regions receiving a start-up loan are offered mentoring, although take up of support services is not a mandatory condition of making the facility available. The number of loans made in each region will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Houses

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met to discuss regulation of pub companies in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014; and on what dates those meetings took place.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.
	In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.
	In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:
	
		
			 Date Organisation Minister 
			 22 January Ministerial Roundtable with licensee groups including: British Institute of Innkeeping; GMB Union; Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers; Brighton & Hove Licensees Association; Campaign for Real Ale; Fair Pint Campaign; Independent Pub Confederation; Federation of Small Businesses; Guild of Master Victuallers. Jo Swinson 
			 28 January Ministerial Roundtable including: British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Star Pubs and Bars. Jo Swinson 
			 7 February Ministerial Roundtable including: Greene King; Shepherd Neame; Everards Brewery; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery; Independent Family Brewers of Britain. Jo Swinson 
			 21 February Meeting with the Scottish Licensed Trade Association. Jo Swinson 
			 27 February Meeting with Enterprise Inns Michael Fallon 
			 10 June Ministerial Roundtable including: Everards Brewery; Fuller Smith & Turner; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton; McMullen & Sons; Shepherd Neame; Wadworth & Co; Trust Inns; Greene King; Titanic Brewery; Westerham Ales; Society of Independent Brewers. Jo Swinson 
			 12 June Ministerial Roundtable including: British Beer and Pub Association; Enterprise Inns; Marston’s; Mitchells & Butlers; Punch Taverns; Spirit Pub Company; Star Pubs and Bars; Wellington Pub Company. Jo Swinson 
			 18 July Meeting with Greg Mulholland MP and the Independent Pub Confederation. Jo Swinson 
			 30 September Meeting with the British Beer and Pub Association. Vince Cable 
			 29 October Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses (pubs were discussed as part of a wider meeting). Vince Cable 
		
	
	In 2014, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:
	
		
			 Date Organisation Minister 
			 30 January Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses. Vince Cable 
			 12 February Meeting with Sir Peter Luff MP and Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery. Jenny Willott 
			 17 March Meeting with Greene King. Jenny Willott 
			 24 March Meeting with representatives of the British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Shepherd Neame. Jenny Willott 
			 31 March Meeting with the Campaign for Real Ale. Jenny Willott 
			 25 April Meeting with S A Brains. Jenny Willott 
		
	
	In addition to meetings with organisations, Ministers met with a number of tied tenants. Officials also met with stakeholders before, during and after the consultation process to discuss our proposals to establish a Statutory Code and an independent adjudicator.

Sector Skills Councils

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) public and (b) private funding has been provided to each sector skills council (i) on average and (ii) in the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: The information is as follows:
	(a) (i) Over the five year period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2014 on average each sector skills council received £11 million of public funding from the UK Commission for Employment as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Average funding per SSC 
			  2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 
			 National 2.9 2.3 2.3 2.1 1.8 
		
	
	(a) (ii) Public funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is allocated to sector skills councils by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills at a national level for sector skills councils to decide how to best use the resources available to them including any specific support at a local level.
	(b) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold information on the amount of private funding provided to each sector skills council.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the availability of training in manufacturing and engineering skills in Hampshire subsequent to the closure of the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth.

Michael Fallon: We recognise the importance of manufacturing and engineering skills to the economy: these will be vital to building the Solent area’s strengths in marine and maritime. BIS is working closely with industry, Job Centre Plus, and Portsmouth council to support those employees impacted by BAE’s decision to close its shipyard in Portsmouth, including providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
	In the Southampton & Portsmouth City Deal, we announced a £1 million DWP Rapid Response Service that will support those recently made redundant and that Government and local industry will invest £3 million in a Marine and Maritime Employer Ownership for skills Programme, responding to the immediate skills needs in small and medium sized enterprises in the advance manufacturing sector. Alongside the City Deal, £5 million from the ‘Solent Future’ Regional Growth Fund programme is available to support the up-skilling and re-skilling of BAE staff facing redundancy.
	The Skills Funding Agency is also working with colleges and training providers in the Solent area to ensure that support is available to any employees at risk of redundancy to update/reskill—supported by £2.5 million of Skills Support for Redundancy European Social Fund money. Additionally the existing UK wide talent retention solution is available to help match skilled workers to engineering jobs in the local area (currently advertising 692 vacancies in the south of England on its website1) and the National Careers Service is available to offer free impartial careers advice to those impacted on updating skills or retraining for alternative employment.
	The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership are involved in detailed negotiations with Government for Growth Deals that will see powers and funding devolved from Whitehall to local partners to drive growth in their area—which covers Hampshire. Solent and EM3 have both put forward proposals to grow the skills—particularly STEM and engineering skills—in their areas. We expect to make announcements on growth deals shortly.
	1 Active TRS vacancies listed on 11 June 2014.

Students: Loans

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the current eligibility criteria for higher education maintenance loans.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to require students seeking maintenance loans to meet criteria including residency, type of course and place of study.

Students: Loans

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of student loans that have been issued in the last five years that are expected to be repaid in full.

David Willetts: Our modelling indicates that, under the pre-2012 system, around 60% of students will fully repay their loans. For the post-2012 system this figure is around 40%. These figures relate to the proportion of students with loans. The RAB charge is a different calculation, which estimates the proportion of the entire student loan book that will not be repaid.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of average household earnings in 2014-15.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of average household earnings in 2014-15 (199795)
	In 2011/12, the most recent year for which figures are available, the mean original household income was £31,477 per year. These estimates are produced from the UK’s Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income data series, which is based on the Living Costs and Food Survey, an annual survey of approximately 5,500 private households.
	The analysis for 2012/13 is due to be published on the National Statistics website on 26 June 2014.
	Original income (market income) is the annualised income in cash of all members of the household before the deduction of taxes or the addition of any state benefits. It includes income from employment (including benefits in kind such as company cars), self-employment, investment income, private pensions and annuities which include all workplace pensions, individual personal pensions and annuities.
	The latest data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for 2012 were published 12 December 2013; these data are at an individual level and are not directly comparable with figures on household income.
	These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Table 1: Original income for all households, 2011-12, average income per household (£ per year) 
			  All households 
			 Number of households in the population (thousand) 26,436 
			 Total original income1 31,477 
			 1 Original income (market income) is the annualised income in cash of all members of the household before the deduction of taxes or the addition of any state benefits. It includes income from employment (including benefits in kind such as company cars), self -employment, investment income, private pensions and annuities which include all workplace pensions, individual personal pensions and annuities. Source: Office for National Statistics

Average Earnings

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010. (200227)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
	I attach a table showing median gross weekly earnings for male, female and all full-time employees between April 2010 and April 2013, in current and constant (2013) prices. Results are provided for April because the survey collects data for the pay period that includes a particular date in April.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings for male, female and all full-time employees1 between April 2010 and April 2013, in current and constant (2013) prices 
			  Current prices Constant (2013) prices 
			  Full-time employees Full-time males Full-time females Full-time employees Full-time males Full-time females 
			 2010 498.5 537.6 439.0 549.6 592.7 484.0 
			 20112,4 500.7 538.5 445.1 528.4 568.3 469.7 
			 20113,4 498.3 53S.2 440.0 525.9 568.0 464.3 
			 2012 506.1 546.0 448.9 518.5 559.3 459.9 
			 2013 517.5 556.0 458.8 517.5 556.0 458.8 
			 1 Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures relate to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. 4 Estimates for years prior to 2011 are based on SOC 2000 and estimates for years after 2011 are based on SOC 2010. Figures are only considered to be directly comparable if they are based on the same SOC. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Average Earnings: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average salary was for a (a) man and (b) woman of (i) white ethnic origin and (ii) black and minority ethnic origin and who was (A) disabled and (B) not disabled in Ashfield constituency in each year since 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average salary was for a (a) man and (b) woman of (i) white ethnic origin and (ii) black and minority ethnic origin and who was (A) disabled and (B) not disabled in Ashfield constituency in each year since 2010 (200186)
	The Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects earnings data by ethnicity and disability status, but because of small sample sizes it is not possible to produce estimates for these groups. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is the ONS’s preferred source for detailed earnings estimates, although it does not provide estimates by ethnicity and disability status. The following table shows median gross weekly earnings for male and female employees in the Ashfield constituency between April 2010 and April 2013.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings (£) for male and female employees1 in Ashfield constituency, 2010 to 2013 
			  Male employees Female employees 
			 2010 **498.1 **312.1 
			 20112,4 **462.6 **287.1 
			 20113,4 **455.5 **283.2 
			 2012 **467.9 **284.2 
			 2013 **438.6 **285.5 
			 1 Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures relate to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. 4 Estimates for years prior to 2011 are based on SOC 2000 and estimates for years after 2011 are based on SOC 2010. Figures are only considered to be directly comparable if they are based on the same SOC. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: ** CV > 10% and <=20% CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Business: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses there were in Peterborough in each year since 2001.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses there were in Peterborough in each year since 2001.
	Annual statistics on the number of businesses (enterprises) are available from the ONS release—UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
	Data on the number of enterprises broken down by districts, counties and unitary authorities can be found in table B1.1 of the publication.
	The table below has been produced using extracts from the Inter Departmental Business Register. (IDBR) It shows the number of enterprises in Peterborough local authority area from 2001 to 2013. Data for 2014 will be available at the end of October 2014. The figures in the table have been rounded to protect confidentiality. Please note that these numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE.
	
		
			 Count of enterprises in Peterborough unitary authority area, 2001-13 
			  Number 
			 2001 4,335 
			 2002 4,395 
		
	
	
		
			 2003 4,480 
			 2004 4,660 
			 2005 4,795 
			 2006 4,935 
			 2007 5,045 
			 2008 5,180 
			 2009 5,070 
			 2010 5,010 
			 2011 4,930 
			 2012 4,970 
			 2013 5,005

Death

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the principal cause of preventable premature mortality, measured in preventable years of life lost, in people up to the age of 60 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment has been made of the principal cause of preventable premature mortality, measured in Preventable Years of Life Lost, in people up to the age of 60 years.
	The National Statistics definition of preventable mortality consists of causes of death divided into eight groups. Table 1 provides a ranking of the Potential Years of Life Lost by males and females aged 0-59 years who died from these preventable mortality cause groups and whose deaths were registered in England and Wales in 2012. Please note that figures for nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders are based on deaths among those aged 0-49 years only. This is because deaths from this cause are not considered to be preventable above this age range.
	Box 1 provides information on the causes of death included in the National Statistics definition of preventable mortality.
	
		
			 Table 1: Ranked Potential Years of Life Lost among people aged 0-59 years: by preventable causes of death and sex, England and Wales, 20121, 2, 3, 4, 5 
			 Years of Life Lost per 100,000 population 
			 Sex Cause Years 
			 Male Cardiovascular diseases 8,075 
			  Intentional injuries 8,006 
			  Neoplasms 7,973 
			  Unintentional injuries 7,681 
			  Drug use disorders 4,304 
			  Respiratory diseases 856 
			  Infections 385 
			  Nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders 328 
			    
			 Female Neoplasms 11,143 
			  Intentional injuries 2,596 
			  Cardiovascular diseases 2,562 
			  Unintentional injuries 2,551 
			  Drug use disorders 2,428 
			  Respiratory diseases 804 
			  Infections 225 
		
	
	
		
			  Nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders 159 
			 1 Figures are based on deaths registered in 2012 2 Figures include deaths of non-residents. 3 Potential Years of Life Lost per 100,000 population aged 0-59 years 4 Figures for Nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders are based on 0-49 year olds only. Deaths outside this age range are not considered preventable 5 See Box 1 for a list of the causes included in the National Statistics definition of preventable mortality Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1: Causes of death (classified using the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision) considered to be preventable 
			 Condition group and cause ICD-10 codes 
			 Infections  
			 Tuberculosis A15-A19, B90 
			 Hepatitis C B17.1, B18.2 
			 HIV/AIDS B20-B24 
			   
			 Neoplasms  
			 Malignant neoplasm of lip, oral cavity and pharynx C00-C14 
			 Malignant neoplasm of oesophagus C15 
			 Malignant neoplasm of stomach C16 
			 Malignant neoplasm of colon and rectum C18-C21 
			 Malignant neoplasm of liver C22 
			 Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung C33-C34 
			 Malignant melanoma of skin C43 
			 Mesothelioma C45 
			 Malignant neoplasm of breast C50 
			 Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri C53 
			   
			 Nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders  
			 Diabetes mellitus E10-E14 
			   
			 Drug use disorders  
			 Alcohol related diseases, excluding external causes F10, G31.2, G62.1, I42.6, K29.2, K70, K73, K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5), K86.0 
			 Illicit drug use disorders F11-F16, F18-F19 
			   
			 Cardiovascular diseases  
			 Ischaemic heart disease I20-I25 
			 DVT with pulmonary embolism I26, I80.1-I80.3, I80.9, I82.9 
			 Aortic aneurysm and dissection I71 
			   
			 Respiratory diseases  
			 Influenza (including swine flu) J09-J11 
			 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder J40-J44 
			   
			 Unintentional injuries  
			 Transport Accidents V01-V99 
			 Accidental Injury W00-X59 
			   
			 Intentional injuries  
			 Suicide and self inflicted injuries X60-X84, Y10-Y34 
			 Homicide/Assault X85-Y09, U50.9 
			 Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care Y60-Y69, Y83-Y84

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within No. 10 Downing Street who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(3)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(4)  what proportion of staff within No. 10 Downing Street who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.
	Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

Employment: Cannock Chase

Aidan Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of women in Cannock Chase constituency were in work in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of women in Cannock Chase were in work in each of the last five years. (200237)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles estimates of the number of people in employment from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The table shows the percentage of women aged 16 to 64 resident in Cannock Chase constituency who were in employment according to survey responses from the APS for the 12 month periods ending in December from 2009 to 2013.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a certain level of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Percentage of women aged 16 to 64 in employment resident in Cannock Chase constituency 
			 12 months ending December: Percentage 
			 2009 62.4 
			 2010 72.7 
			 2011 63.3 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 58.9 
			 2013 68.0 
			 Source: Annual Population Survey.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what targets No. 10 Downing Street has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year;
	(2)  what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year;
	(3)  what targets the Cabinet Office has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Francis Maude: To win the global race we need the best civil servants regardless of their background so we must recruit, retain and promote on the basis of merit. We want to see more talented people, whatever their background, reach the very top roles.
	There has been for many years a majority of women in the civil service but this was not reflected into the senior civil service.
	Although there has been a small increase in the proportion of women in the senior civil service since 2010, and in the proportion of civil servants who declare that they are from an ethnic minority background, there is still much to do.
	We know that for too long talent management in the civil service has been weak. That is why I have commissioned research to examine the blockages preventing women from reaching the most senior levels of the civil service.
	A plan to address these issues will be published this summer.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants;
	(2)  what consideration No. 10 Downing Street gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	This Government procure on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.

Migration

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the International Passenger Survey for estimating migration flows; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the International Passenger Survey for estimating migration flows; and if she will make a statement.
	ONS publishes estimates of long-term immigration, emigration and net migration each quarter. These are largely derived from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The estimates are published alongside their margin of error which refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval, and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.
	The latest IPS estimate for long-term immigration for the year ending December 2013 was 485,000, with a margin of error of +/- 29,000. The latest IPS estimate for long-term emigration for the year ending December 2013 was 295,000, with a margin of error of +/- 19,000.
	ONS has published an overview of the quality and reliability of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) in relation to producing estimates of long-term international migration flows, that is, flows of migrants intending to remain in or out of the UK for twelve months or more. This can be accessed at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/population-and-migration/international-migration-methodology/international-passenger-survey-quality-information-in-relation-to-migration-flows.pdf
	Furthermore, ONS has recently published a review into the ‘Quality of Long-Term International Migration Estimates from 2001 to 2011’. This review found that a substantial amount of immigration, particularly of EU8 citizens1, between 2004 and 2008 was missed by the IPS, prior to improvements to the design and coverage of the survey in 2009. Revised net migration estimates, which are consistent with the results of the 2011 Census, were published as part of the review. The review can be found at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/long-term-international-migration/quality-of-long-term-international-migration-estimates-from-2001-to-2011/sty-quality-of-ltim.html
	The improvements to the IPS have reduced the relative error around the estimates, as well as the balance of the sample between EU and non-EU migrants.
	1 The EU8 consists of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Military Medals Review

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library the terms of reference of the independent medal review by Sir John Holmes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when the Sir John Holmes independent medal review began; when that review is due to be completed; whether any preliminary reports from that review (a) have been published and (b) are due to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statements on 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 55WS, and 17 July 2012, Official Report, column 132WS.
	An announcement will be made once the full set of reviews is complete and has been approved in the usual way.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to publish a White Paper in advance of the next strategic defence and security review.

Oliver Letwin: The next strategic defence and security review will span the period of the next election. A decision is yet to be taken on the final approach.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with B&K Universal Ltd, Yorkshire Evergreen or their associates about their planning application for a facility at Grimston, Yorkshire for the breeding of dogs and other animals for laboratory use in the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: Home Office officials have advised B&K Universal Ltd of the requirements for the proposed facility of European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other member states on 1 January 2013.
	Decisions on planning applications are a matter for the relevant local planning authority.

Animal Experiments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, columns 419-20W, on animals: experiments, when the Animals in Science Committee will publish its review of the Home Office inspectorate's report and Imperial College's independent report on the investigation into animal experiments at Imperial College, London; and when this report will be placed in the Library.

Norman Baker: A draft of the report will be presented to the Animals in Science Committee for discussion and agreement on 23 June 2014. Subject to any amendments that the Committee may require, it is expected that the report will be published shortly thereafter.

Animal Experiments

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential benefit of introducing a compulsory retirement programme for animals used in laboratories and scientific experiments; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: European directive 2010/63/EU which was implemented in the UK and other member states on 1 January 2013 provides member states with discretion to allow re-homing schemes. It also requires that where member states have allowed re-homing, they will also ensure that a re-homing scheme is in place that ensures the socialisation of the animal.
	The directive permits member states to go beyond the requirements of the directive, on the basis of animal welfare, only where the provisions were already in place in November 2010. The directive does not provide legal grounds on which the UK can impose such a mandatory obligation of re-homing as part of licensing.
	The UK legislation allows re-homing. The requirements are provided for in licence conditions and by virtue of section 17A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
	On our acceptance of certain reassurances, relating to section 17A of the 1986 Act, authority may be given to re-home animals being held at an establishment. This applies to those animals that were bred or held for supply for use in regulated procedures, were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have been used in regulated procedures and are being kept alive under the care of the named veterinary surgeon. This authority would relate to individually identified animals and records would be held at the establishment to confirm that such animals had been re-homed.
	Consideration is normally given to the release of animals from the controls of the Act if there is no scientific requirement for them to be humanely killed at the end of the procedures. Some animals are not released if veterinary advice indicates that they may not remain in good health, or that their temperament would not be suited to such an environment.
	Comprehensive guidance on setting free and re-homing is given in section 5.21 in the Guidance on the Operation of the 1986 Act. The Home Office intends to provide further advice about the re-homing of laboratory animals from licensed establishments where there are provisions in the legislation. Animals which have been born into, and lived all their lives under, laboratory conditions may not be able to adapt to a different lifestyle and may be very distressed by such change. There must be provision for careful individual assessment as well as a structured socialisation programme to ensure that re-homing is in the best interests of the individual animal.

Animal Experiments

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) dogs, (b) cats and (c) horses were released from laboratories, returned and re-homed under the European Directive 2010/63/EU in the UK in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement on its success.

Norman Baker: The Home Office does not hold records of animals released from laboratories, returned and re-homed, under the European Directive 2010/63/EU, on its files.
	Records are kept locally at the licensed establishment to be made available to Home Office Inspectors on request.

Arrest Warrants

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited to the UK for tax offences under a European Arrest Warrant in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been involved in 42 cases where people have been surrendered to the UK for tax offences since 2008-09 on a European Arrest Warrant.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 6 
			 2009-10 12 
			 2010-11 5 
			 2011-12 5 
			 2012-13 7 
			 2013-14 3 
			 2014-15 4 
		
	
	These figures do not represent all cases involving tax offences, as other EAWs which may include tax offences were not dealt with by HMRC and are not recorded separately.

Asylum: Housing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent from the public purse on accommodating asylum seekers in (a) hotels and (b) bed and breakfasts, hostels and other establishments that provide lodging paid on a short-term basis in each year since May 2010; and how much was spent in each region.

James Brokenshire: Accommodation is provided to asylum applicants through contracts with third party suppliers. Providers are required to provide accommodation that is safe, fit for purpose and correctly equipped in line with the contractual Statement of Requirements agreed between themselves and the Home Office.
	There is no added expense to the Home Office when providers use B&B or hotel accommodation as short term contingency accommodation. Any and all additional costs are borne by the provider.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within her Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within her Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Karen Bradley: Table 1 provides information on the proportion of staff within the Home Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last four financial years (2009-10 to 2012-13) and who were white. It is planned that information for 2013-14 will be published in January 2015.
	It has not been possible to provide information further broken down as white British staff as historical data are not collated in this way and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Individuals can be dismissed for a variety of reasons (such as conduct, performance, or attendance). It is not possible to identify those dismissed following disciplinary proceedings without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proportion of white staff within the Home Office subject to disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years1 
			 Headcount (percentage) 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Proportion of Department who declared themselves as white and were subject to disciplinary proceedings (percentage) 0.57 0.84 0.74 0.54 n/a 
			 1Those employees who declare their Ethnic Origin as White include: English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British/Gypsy or Irish Traveller/Irish/Other White Background. Unfortunately it has not been possible to break down this response into White British without incurring a disproportionate cost. Data Source: Data View—the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data linked to manual spreadsheets collated locally by HR Business Partner teams during the year relating to the disciplinary process. Period Covered: Data is provided as at 31 March for each year. Extraction Date: 1 April for each retrospective year. Organisational Coverage: Figures are for the Home Office and its Executive agencies in each financial year. Please see each year's annual report and accounts for the composition of the Department. Employee Coverage: Data includes all employees involved in a misconduct case that had an outcome or hearing date during the relevant financial year. Link: Misconduct data is included in each year's Departmental Employment Monitoring Report. See: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-monitoring-report

Driving Offences: Insurance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of cases of vehicle insurance fraud in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office holds no data on this.

Drugs: Convictions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to ensure that convictions are brought for possession of large quantities of illegal drugs.

Norman Baker: Action to restrict drug supply, including the investigation of drug offences and enabling the prosecution of those responsible, is a priority for law enforcement and other regulatory agencies. It is important that the courts are able to consider all the circumstances of any offence and offender which is why law enforcement agencies work closely with their prosecutors to provide the courts with the best evidence of an offence, presented in the most effective way.
	In addition to prosecution, law enforcement agencies and the Criminal Justice System in the UK have at their discretion a number of disposals available to deal with drug-related offenders, including referral for drug treatment. This ensures that a robust and proportionate enforcement approach can be taken, which gives due regard to the public interest.

Drugs: Misuse

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the prevalence and effect of the sale of so-called legal highs (a) online and (b) in shops.

Norman Baker: The Government monitors the prevalence of use of particular new psychoactive substances through the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The latest results of the crime survey can be found here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-december-2013/stb-crime-stats-dec-2013.html
	New questions have been included in the 2014/15 Crime Survey, to capture the use of a wider range of new psychoactive substances than was previously the case.
	The Home Office is currently undertaking a six month review led by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s legislative, educational and health response to new psychoactive substances can be enhanced. It is anticipated that the panel will report their recommendations to Home Office Ministers before summer recess.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets her Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Karen Bradley: Tables provided for representation from March 2013-March 2014.
	In conjunction with Cabinet Office, the Department has agreed specific targets to improve representation rates. The position in the last year is as follows:
	Three female employees have been appointed at director general level becoming members of the Home Office Executive Management Board. The position generally was that 34.39% of staff at senior civil service (SCS) were female compared with the target of 38%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 43.93% of staff were female compared with the target of 45%.
	6.21% of staff with a disability were at SCS level compared to a target of 3% and at Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 5.99 % staff had a disability compared with the target of 6%.
	10.56% of staff at Grades 6 and 7 were from a minority ethnic background compared to a target of 10%. 4.52% of staff at SCS level were from a minority ethnic background compared with the target of 6%.
	5.66% of staff at SCS were lesbian, gay or bisexual compared to the target of 5.0%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 3.4% of staff were lesbian, gay or bisexual compared with the target of 5.0%.
	The position is encouraging but the Department is committed to finding further progress in all aspects of diversity.
	
		
			 Representation data 
			 March 2013 
			  Grade Actual representation (%) 2013 target (%) 
			 Gender SCS 32.64 38 
			  SCS PB1 35.14 40 
			  SCS PB2 and above 24.44 35 
		
	
	
		
			  G6-G7 45.01 45 
			 Minority Ethnic SCS 5.00 6 
			  G6-G7 11.16 10 
			 Disabled SCS 6.08 3 
			  G6-G7 6.19 6 
			 LGB SCS 6.49 5 
			  G6-G7 3.73 5 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2014 
			  Grade Actual representation () 2013 target () 
			 Gender SCS 34.39 38 
			  SCS PB1 37.16 40 
			  SCS PB2 and above 24.39 35 
			  G6-G7 43.93 45 
			 Minority Ethnic SCS 4.52 6 
			  G6-G7 10.56 10 
			 Disabled SCS 6.21 3 
			  G6-G7 5.99 6 
			 LGB SCS 5.66 5 
			  G6-G7 3.40 5 
			 Source: Data View-the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data. Period Covered: 2013-1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. 2014-1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014. Extraction Date: 2013-1 April 2013. 2014-1 April 2014. Organisational Coverage: March 2013: Figures include Home Office Headquarters (including Border Force) and the Executive Agencies; United Kingdom Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and the National Fraud Authority. March 2014: Figures include core Home Office (including Border Force, UK Visas and Immigration and Immigration Enforcement) and the Executive Agencies; Her Majesty's Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority. Employee Coverage: Data is based on headcount of all paid, permanent civil servants, who were current at the 31 March in each year.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration her Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Karen Bradley: As part of procurement tender exercises for commercial contracts, the Home Department asks for evidence of bidders Equality and/or Equality and Diversity Statement or Policy. Statements or policies are evaluated to ensure that organisations have satisfactory procedures in place that comply and provide evidence of their commitment.
	When considering a bid for a grant, it is not currently part of the Home Department’s process to consider the diversity policies and records of businesses.

Human Trafficking: Albania

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what region of Albania the women referred to the victim support scheme operated by the Salvation Army in (a) February 2014 and (b) April 2014 came from; what evidence from cluster data she has to explain why most of them were pregnant when they were discovered in the UK; what steps she is taking to prevent access to the UK without the necessary visas by such Albanian nationals; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office and Ministry of Justice jointly fund a national support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales. This contract is delivered by the Salvation Army. The service is open to potential adult victims of human trafficking (including those from Albania), identified through referral to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The Salvation Army and its sub-contractors work with victims of human trafficking from the moment they are placed in support accommodation to help them consider their support needs and their plans to move on from the service.
	The Home Office does not hold data on the regions that Albanian women referred to the Salvation Army are from. This information is only held within individual case records and can only be accessed through manual search. Similarly, we do not hold data on the reasons for pregnancy of women referred to the NRM. The Government recognise that effective reintegration support for victims is vital to help them move on with their lives and to prevent them from being exploited in the future. In addition, the Government are looking at what more that can be done to support victims, including supporting them to return to their home country where appropriate.
	The Government are working closely with the Albanian Government to combat trafficking and support victims. In November 2013, the UK Government and the Albanian Government, working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), established a voluntary return package for female victims of trafficking who wished to return to Albania. This package includes the provision of secure accommodation in Albania (with guards and social services on site), child care assistance where required, and training or support to establish a business or enter the labour market. This provides the support and assistance required for victims who wish to return to Albania to rebuild their lives. The Albanian Government are also putting in place comprehensive measures to tackle trafficking, such as the establishment of a National Referral Mechanism and a dedicated police unit to tackle trafficking.
	Albanians are visa nationals and as such they require a visa to enter the UK for any purpose. We have Risk and Airline Liaison Overseas Network staff posted around the world to assist carriers in identifying passengers that do not have the correct documents to enter the UK. We also have Border Force staff operating UK immigration controls in France and Belgium who will refuse entry to those seeking to enter the UK without the correct documentation.

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently being held in prisons solely under immigration powers.

James Brokenshire: As at 3 June 2014 there were 790 detainees held in prison establishments solely under immigration powers, of whom 174 were held in HMP The Verne.

Immigration Act 2014

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to commence each section of the Immigration Act 2014.

James Brokenshire: The provisions of the Immigration Act will come into force on a phased basis beginning in July 2014.

Immigration Controls

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers are deployed at each UK airport.

James Brokenshire: The requested information has not been released as it is Border Force policy not to release port-specific staff numbers on grounds of national security.

Police

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent police officers were employed by Cheshire police in each year since 2010; and how many such officers were employed in Warrington Borough;
	(2)  how many Police Community Support Officers were deployed in Warrington Borough in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: The table contains the requested data for police officers employed by Cheshire Police and covers the period up until 30 September 2013. Figures as at 31 March 2014 are due to be published 17 July 2014.
	Figures for police officers and police community support officers at Warrington borough level are not collected by the Home Office.
	
		
			 Number of full-time equivalent1 police officers employed by Cheshire Police on 31 March and 30 September in each year from 2010 to 2013 
			  Police officers 
			 31 March 2010 2,155 
			 30 September 2010 2,148 
			 31 March 2011 2,079 
			 30 September 2011 2,040 
			 31 March 2012 2,011 
			 30 September 2012 2,025 
			 31 March 2013 2,013 
			 30 September 2013 1,956 
			 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to police forces on marking cases as requiring No Further Action.

Norman Baker: The Home Office Counting Rules provide guidance to police forces on all matters that relate to the recording of crime and disposals. They are issued annually by the Home Office.
	This Government is committed to increasing the transparency of information available to the public on recorded crime and outcomes. From April 2014, we introduced the recorded crime outcomes framework, replacing the previous regime of detections. This will inform the public how forces have dealt with 100% of crimes reported to them. For the first time, therefore, the public will be able to see how those crimes previously recorded as ‘undetected’ and as requiring ‘no further action’ have been resolved. The first data will be available in July 2015.

Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of cases that police have marked as requiring No Further Action in each of the last four years.

Norman Baker: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office. Until recently, information has only been collected on crime outcomes that involve action being taken by the police. These were part of the former detections framework before 2013/14, and the new outcomes framework after that.
	In April 2014, a new, broader crime outcomes framework was introduced, providing much greater transparency on how crimes are resolved by the police. This framework includes all scenarios where no further action was taken by the police. From April 2014 onwards, data are being collected on this new framework, and the first full set of statistics will be published in July 2015.

Police: Demonstrations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police forces on ensuring constituency and flexibility in policing of parades and demonstrations ensuring the smooth flow of traffic and safety of participants, motorists and pedestrians.

Damian Green: The Home Office has issued no such guidance.

Police: Dogs

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in police dog numbers in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in the last five years.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police staff in each police area in England and Wales have received training in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Damian Green: The College of Policing sets standards and provides relevant training products and services to police forces. The College of Policing training package on stalking has been completed 52,176 times between October 2012 and 31 May 2014 by police officers and staff in England and Wales.
	The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of police staff in each police area in England and Wales who have received training.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the police record complaints and offences of stalking.

Damian Green: The National Crime Recording Standard sets out that in all cases where a victim reports an allegation of a crime of stalking, the police must register an incident and once that report is confirmed as a crime they must then record it as such. Stalking is a serious crime and in recognition of this, in April this year, the Government established a specific stalking classification in the Home Office Counting Rules to provide improved data and transparency.

Telecommunications: Databases

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 437W, on telecommunications: databases, whether she has yet completed her assessment of (a) the consequences for the UK of the decision of the European Court of Justice in Joined Cases C-293/12 and C-594/12 (Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and Others) and (b) what implication that decision has for (i) enforcement of the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 and (ii) her powers to reimburse any expenses incurred by a public communications provider in complying with those regulations.

James Brokenshire: The Government continue to consider the judgment of the European Court. At the present time, we consider that the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 remain in force. Those in receipt of a notice under the regulations have been informed that they should continue to observe their obligations as outlined in any notice.

Telecommunications: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department has provided any advice to public communications providers on the consequences of the decision of the European Court of Justice in Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and Others on data retention by those companies;
	(2)  whether public communications providers have sought advice from her Department on the consequences of the decision of the European Court of Justice in Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and Others on data retention by those companies.

James Brokenshire: The Government continue to consider the judgment of the European Court, but we consider that the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 remain in force. Those in receipt of a notice under the regulations have been informed that they should continue to observe their obligations as outlined in any notice.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently detained for immigration purposes at HM Prison The Verne.

James Brokenshire: As at 3 June 2014 there were 790 detainees held in prison establishments solely under immigration powers, of whom 174 were held in HMP The Verne.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the suitability of HM Prison The Verne for detaining individuals for immigration purposes.

James Brokenshire: HMP The Verne has been assessed for detaining individuals for immigration purposes in terms of its size, location, facilities and level of security.
	Alterations are being carried out to make it suitable for use as an Immigration Removal Centre including provision of facilities for detainees and their visitors. Once formally re-roled it will be used to assist removal of those who have no right to remain in the UK.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent meetings he has had with educational organisations to discuss arts, music and culture in schools;
	(2)  what recent meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Education to discuss arts, music and culture in schools.

Edward Vaizey: The Minister for Education and Childcare, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss), and I jointly chair a Cultural Education Board, focused on cultural and music education, at which schools and arts organisations are represented. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, routinely discusses a wide range of issues with his counterparts in other Government Departments.

Arts: Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of primary pupils of each ethnic background and in total have engaged with (a) theatre activities, (b) music activities, (c) dance and (d) other arts in each year since 2009-10.

Edward Vaizey: Taking Part child survey results for activity by individual art forms are not regularly published broken down by BAME. This requires further analysis of the underlying survey data and we will publish this analysis in the Libraries of both Houses.

BBC Trust

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  when he last met the BBC Trust; what matters were discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he last met the director-general of the BBC; what matters were discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State’s external meetings are published quarterly on the departmental website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313639/Transparency_Declarations_Oct-Dec_2013_csv.csv/preview

Commonwealth Games 2014

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance his Department has provided to shooting organisations to help them prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Helen Grant: British Shooting was awarded £153,000 from Sport England’s Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014 medal support programme.

Sports: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of how many adults in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West have taken part in at least one sporting activity each week in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  2009 (APS3) 2010 (APS4) 2011 (APS5) 2012 (APS6) 2013 (APS7) 
			 Pendle (LA) 20,600 23,100 21,400 22,600 24,200 
			 Lancashire 410,000 405,300 409,500 415,000 420,600 
			 North West 2,007,800 1,996,700 1,986,000 2,066,500 2,055,800 
		
	
	Participation data are from the Active People Survey which measures the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport in England.

Sports: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on grassroots sport in (a) Pendle, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: Figures in the table show Sport England direct investment only. The figures do not include additional money being spent on grassroots sports by national governing bodies and other national partners in which Sport England has invested £493 million to get more people playing sport across England.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Total 
			 Pendle 1,500 16,506 19,560 306,404 167,996 511,966 
			 Lancashire 1,430,187 1,160,438 2,105,677 3,239,373 4,212,095 12,147,770 
			 North West 8,220,417 14,081,270 11,875,216 12,653,474 18,754,769 65,585,146

World War I: Anniversaries

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money from the Heritage Lottery Fund has been awarded to each local authority area for activities to commemorate the First World War.

Helen Grant: Since April 2010, across various programmes, the Heritage Lottery Fund has allocated over £56 million pounds to projects throughout the United Kingdom marking the first world war centenary. This includes awards from the ‘First World War: Then and Now’ programme for smaller, community-led, projects. The breakdown of this funding by local authority area will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

JUSTICE

Contracts: HM Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what financial penalties have been incurred by G4S in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Birmingham since 13 April 2012;
	(2)  what financial penalties have been incurred by G4S in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Oakwood since 13 April 2012;
	(3)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract for running of HM Prison & Young Offenders Institution Doncaster since 13 April 2011;
	(4)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Dovegate since May 2010;
	(5)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Sodexo Ltd in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Northumberland.

Jeremy Wright: No liquidated damages (financial penalties) have been incurred by Sodexo Ltd in relation to its contract at HMP Northumberland. During the mobilisation period from service commencement date 1 December 2013 to 30 May 2014 no performance points apply. The next performance quarter is due to report in September 2014.
	Please find the responses to the above questions in the following tables.
	
		
			   Q1** Q2** Q3** Q4** Annual** 
			 2012-13 Performance indicators Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) 
			 Dovegate Non-compliance with procedures 85  35  10  40  80  
		
	
	
		
			  Incidents 0  0  10  0  0  
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Baseline total 133  133  133  137  0  
			  Actual total 85 0 35 0 20 0 40 0 80 0 
			             
			 Doncaster Non-compliance with procedures 0  0  0  0  2- 2- 
			  Incidents 0  0  0  0  2- 2- 
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 0  0  13  3  2- 2- 
			  Baseline total 0  0  0  0  2- 2- 
			  Actual total 0 0 0 0 13 5,672 3 1,260 2- 2- 
			             
			 Oakwood Non-compliance with procedures 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 7  2- 2- 
			  Incidents 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 0  2- 2- 
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 90  2- 2- 
			  Baseline total 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 0  2- 2- 
			  Actual total 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 97 45,299 2- 2- 
			             
			 Birmingham Non-compliance with procedures 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 0  
			  Incidents 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 0  
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 135  
			  Baseline total 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 0  
			  Actual total 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 135 95,135 
			 * Total points accrued. Note, data excludes credit points awarded. Financial penalties only apply if baseline targets exceeded. ** Periods relate to Contractual Periods not Financial Periods. 1 Prison not in operational service. 2 Performance measure not applicable. 
		
	
	
		
			   Q1** Q2** Q3** Q4** Annual** 
			 2013-14 Performance indicators Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) Points* Value (£) 
			 Dovegate Non-compliance with procedures 40  250  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Incidents 0  10  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 0  20  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Baseline total 133  133  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Actual total 40 0 280 31,485 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			             
			 Doncaster Non-compliance with procedures 50  50  0  0  0  
			  Incidents 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 10  4  6  27  0  
			  Baseline total 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Actual total 60 25,468 54 23,200 6 2,528 27 11,233 147 62,429 
			             
			 Oakwood Non-compliance with procedures 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Incidents 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 10.35  0  0  0  0  
			  Baseline total 0  0  0  0  0  
			  Actual total 10.35 5,105 0 0 0 0 0 0 10.35 5,105 
			             
		
	
	
		
			 Birmingham Non-compliance with procedures 65.7  40  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Incidents 0  0  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Non-compliance with prison regime 0  0  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Baseline total 0  0  1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			  Actual total 65.7 40,191 40 24,794 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 
			 * Total points accrued. Note, data excludes credit points awarded. Financial penalties only apply if baseline targets exceeded. ** Periods relate to Contractual Periods not Financial Periods 1 The performance points are being validated and agreed upon and will be available later in the year. 
		
	
	It is important to note that performance points are essentially about operational efficiency, and at no point has public safety been at risk. There are no significant historical trends in the attached figures and it is fair to say that privately managed prisons achieve the majority of their contractual targets with proportionately low levels of performance points and financial remedies applied as a result. The data for each contract are closely monitored by MOJ staff and any emerging or sustained performance failures are discussed in detail with the relevant contractor in order to rectify performance shortfalls as quickly as possible.

Contracts: Prisoner Escort

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what financial penalties have been incurred by GEO/Amey in relation to its contract for the provision of prisoner escort and custody since 29 August 2011;
	(2)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract for the provision of prisoner escort and custody services since 29 August 2011;
	(3)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract for the provision for secure escort of children and young people in secure training centres and secure children’s home since 17 April 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice holds four regional contracts for the delivery of prisoner escort and custody. Three of these are with GeoAmey and total £685 million over seven years. Across the four regions these contracts move circa 800,000 prisoners per year.
	The table below details indicates the cost of the performance measures applied against contract delivery indicators in the form of liquidated damages since 29 August 2011.
	
		
			 Area Contractor Financial penalties/liquidated damages (£) 
			 South West and South East GeoAmey 222,108.00 
			 East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside, and North East GeoAmey 154,332.88 
			 North West, West Midlands and Wales GeoAmey 268,221.88 
			  Total 644,662.26 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice holds four regional contracts for the delivery of prisoner escort and custody. One of these is with Serco and totals £337 million over seven years. Across the four regions these contracts move circa 800,000 prisoners per year.
	The table below details indicates the cost of performance measures applied in the form of liquidated damages since 29 August 2011.
	
		
			 Area Contractor Financial penalties/liquidated damages (£) 
			 London and East of England Serco 965,855 
		
	
	The authority holds one contract with Serco for the escort of children and young people in secure training centres and secure children’s homes which commenced on 29 August 2012 not the 17 April 2012 as stated within your question. There have been no financial penalties applied to it.

Contracts: Secure Training Centres

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what financial penalties have been incurred by G4S in relation to its contract to run the Medway Secure Training Centre since May 2010;
	(2)  what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract to run Hassockfield Secure Training Centre since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: No financial penalties have been levied against G4S in relation to its operations at Medway Secure Training Centre since 2010-11.
	On the question of what financial penalties have been levied against Serco in relation to its operations at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in each year since 2010-11, see following table.
	The data presented are based on total number of performance points accrued for the relevant periods. Financial remedies are only applicable when performance point baseline targets are exceeded for the period.
	
		
			   Hassockfield Secure Training Centre 
			   Points Baseline Service credit (£) 
			 2010-11 Q3 70 150 0.00 
			  Q4 150 150 0.00 
			      
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 Q1 110 137 0.00 
			  Q2 10 137 0.00 
			  Q3 160 137 491.45 
			  Q4 160 137 498.73 
			      
			 2012-13 Q1 60 125 0.00 
			  Q2 105 125 0.00 
			  Q3 20 125 0.00 
			  Q4 125 125 0.00 
			      
			 2013-14 Q1 230 112 2,254.80 
			  Q2 20 112 0.00 
			  Q3 70 112 0.00 
			  Q4 30 112 0.00 
			      
			 2014-15 Q1 30 100 0.00 
			  Q2 80 100 0.00 
			 Note: Quarter's are based upon contract anniversary dates: Q1 is from October-December; Q2 is from January-March; Q3 is from April-June; and, Q4 is from July-September. 
		
	
	It is important to note that performance points are essentially about operational efficiency, and at no point has public safety been at risk. There are no significant historical trends in the attached figures and it is fair to say that privately managed secure training centres achieve the majority of their contractual targets with proportionately low levels of performance points and financial remedies applied as a result. The data for each contract are closely monitored by Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice staff and any emerging or sustained performance failures are discussed in detail with the relevant contractor in order to rectify performance shortfalls as quickly as possible.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to enable vulnerable witnesses to be able to give evidence remotely.

Damian Green: The Crown courts and magistrate courts provide the facility to allow vulnerable victims and witnesses to give evidence to the trial court by secure video link from a different court.
	In addition, a number of police stations also have video facilities that link into the court. As part of the action plan to increase video usage across the Criminal Justice System, we intend to examine how best to extend use of remote links for vulnerable, intimidated and other ‘priority’ victims, as defined by the Victims’ Code.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice is committed to promoting equality and diversity in its procurements. Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 outlines the Public Sector Equality Duty. The following three duties which form the basis of Departments’ policy and to which due regard must be given during the procurement process:
	1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
	2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it;
	3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
	The level of due regard given to the three duties will vary depending on their relevance to each individual procurement. There will be greater significance for example where the procurement involves direct contact with the public or employees of the Department or where services are to be carried out in the Department’s premises.
	Where a need to consider equality has been identified at the beginning of a procurement process, consideration to this is given at every stage of the process as detailed as follows:
	Planning and preparation includes the consideration of whether the duties are relevant to the procurement.
	The Pre-Qualification stage of the tender process contains mandatory fields including questions to make sure that the bid is in line with legislation. Suppliers that do not pass these questions are not progressed onto the next stage.
	The Request for Information and Request for Quotation contain questions in line with legislation. These questions are proportionate so as not to disadvantage smaller suppliers.
	The evaluation of tenders can include equality criteria if it formed part of the specification. However, if included, the criteria are given proportionate consideration to the bid as a whole.
	Contract award where the specification set out equality criteria can be used to determine the most economically advantageous tender.
	Ongoing consideration is given to the equality duties in every review meeting for those relevant contracts.
	In addition to these processes implemented during the procurement process, the Department reports annually its obligations to the Cabinet Office. All procurement staff within the Department are required to undertake mandatory Equality and Diversity Training which makes sure that the duty can be considered and applied correctly.

Glen Parva Young Offender Institution

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which company designed the 2009 plans for a young offender institute at Glen Parva; and how much such plans cost.

Jeremy Wright: Interserve designed the 2009 plans for a young offender institution at Glen Parva with their designers, HLM Architects.
	The previous Government spent £5.6 million on developing the plans for a new young offender institution at Glen Parva up to 2010. Although the secure college pathfinder will be fundamentally different from a young offender’s institution, we are making use of the previous work where relevant.

Glen Parva Young Offender Institution

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which company designed and what the cost to the public purse was of production in 2009 of the plans for a young offender institute at Glen Parva.

Jeremy Wright: Interserve designed the 2009 plans for a young offender institution at Glen Parva with their designers, HLM Architects.
	The previous Government spent £5.6 million on developing the plans for a new young offender institution at Glen Parva up to 2010. Although the secure college pathfinder will be fundamentally different from a young offender’s institution, we are making use of the previous work where relevant.

High Down Prison

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what rights prisoners in HM Prison High Down Sutton have to association and exercise; and whether he has received representations that prisoners at that prison are being permitted less than half an hour to exercise per day.

Jeremy Wright: Prisoners at High Down have the same access to exercise and association as in all prisons in England and Wales. The details are set out in Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners. In addition, prisoners are entitled to association time outside of their cells that may include forms of exercise.
	We have no record of any formal representations made by prisoners at HMP Highdown on the lack of opportunity to exercise.

Michael Wheatley

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether approval was sought from any Minister for the decision to release Michael Wheatley on temporary licence;
	(2)  on what grounds Michael Wheatley was released on temporary licence.

Jeremy Wright: Approval was not sought from any Minister for the decision to release Michael Wheatley on temporary licence, as the policy does not require ministerial approval before a prisoner is approved for release on temporary licence (ROTL). This has been the case since 1994. In accordance with the policy, as laid down in Prison Service Order 6300, the Deputy Governor at HMP Standford Hill approved ROTL for Michael Wheatley, on a recommendation from a ROTL risk assessment board at that prison.
	Mr Wheatley’s resettlement day release was authorised to facilitate his potential resettlement into the community and to assess his ongoing risk, to inform the Parole Board’s future decision as to his suitability for release into the community on life licence.

Open Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving custodial sentences for serious violent and sexual assaults were held in open prisons on 1 May (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Jeremy Wright: Open prisons have been used since 1936, because they are the most effective means of ensuring that prisoners are suitably risk-assessed before they are released into the community under appropriate licence conditions. These prisons also provide effective supervision for prisoners who do not require the security conditions of the closed estate, because they have been assessed as having a low risk of harm to the public and a low risk of absconding by the independent Parole Board and/or NOMS.
	Indeterminate sentence prisoners located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of a low enough risk to the public to warrant their placement in an open prison. They will have previously spent time in prisons with higher levels of security, before being transferred to open conditions if recommended by the Parole Board—or directed through NOMS.
	The main purpose of open conditions is to test prisoners in conditions more similar to those that they will face in the community. Time spent in open prisons affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For many prisoners who have spent a considerable amount of time in custody; these can assist in their successful reintegration in the community and protecting the public. To release these prisoners directly from a closed prison without the resettlement benefits of the open estate could lead to higher levels of post-release re-offending. The re-offending rates of those released from open prisons are low when compared to all prisoners released from custody in England and Wales.

Open Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were held in open prisons on 1 May (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Jeremy Wright: The following table identifies the total population of predominant function open prisons as at the last Friday in April in each year from 2010 to 2014.This includes open female prisons, open young offender institutions and the relevant open parts of multi-site establishments performing different functions; it does not include those held in non-predominant function open prisons or in small open units at closed prisons.
	
		
			  Total population in predominant function open prisons 
			 2010 4,655 
			 2011 4,711 
			 2012 4,911 
			 2013 4,993 
			 2014 5,041 
		
	
	Open prisons have been used since 1936, because they are the most effective means of ensuring that prisoners are suitably risk-assessed before they are released into the community under appropriate licence conditions. These prisons also provide effective supervision for prisoners who do not require the security conditions of the closed estate, because they have been assessed as having a low risk of harm to the public and a low risk of absconding by NOMS and/or the independent Parole Board.
	Indeterminate sentence prisoners located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of a low enough risk to the public to warrant their placement in an open prison. They will have previously spent time in prisons with higher levels of security, before being transferred to open conditions if recommended by the Parole Board—or directed through NOMS.
	The main purpose of open conditions is to test prisoners in conditions more similar to those that they will face in the community. Time spent in open prisons affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For many prisoners who have spent a considerable amount of time in custody; these can assist in their successful reintegration in the community and protecting the public. To release these prisoners directly from a closed prison without the resettlement benefits of the open estate could lead to higher levels of post-release reoffending. The reoffending rates of those released from open prisons are low when compared to all prisoners released from custody in England and Wales.
	The public have understandable concerns in the light of recent high profile absconds. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of prisoners absconding has reached record lows, down from 952 absconds in 1995-96 (the first year for which this data is available) to 204 in 2012-13, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government have already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or absconded or reoffended while released on temporary licence.

Open Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners in open prisons have previously absconded or escaped from prison;
	(2)  how many prisoners in an open prison have previously breached a licence condition while released on temporary licence.

Jeremy Wright: Keeping the public safe is our priority. That is why this Government have taken action on both releases on temporary licence (ROTL) and absconds from prison.
	We commissioned a fundamental review of ROTL policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they take effect immediately; particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken.
	Absconds have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded.

Open Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those held in open prisons in each month in 2010 to 2013 had previously (a) absconded, (b) attempted to abscond, (c) escaped and (d) attempted to escape.

Jeremy Wright: Keeping the public safe is our priority. Absconds and escapes have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded, escaped, or attempted to do either.
	My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many hours of (a) initial and (b) on-the-job training is provided to prison (i) governors and (ii) staff on (A) diversity and equality and (B) issues relating to radicalisation of prisoners;
	(2)  what (a) initial and (b) on-the-job training is provided to prison (i) governors and (ii) staff on (A) diversity and equality and (B) issues relating to radicalisation of prisoners.

Jeremy Wright: A range of equality and diversity training is available to all prison staff. Equalities awareness is also embedded in all business specific learning. The amount of training provided to individuals depends on their identified needs and their role within the prison.
	Newly recruited prison officers and operational support grades are introduced to the nine protected characteristics (as described in the Equalities Act 2010) at the beginning of their initial training (one hour session). These are referred to throughout the course, and the learners’ understanding is assessed during specific equalities sessions (approximately seven hours) towards the end of the course.
	Training and support from NOMS Security group and Chaplaincy group to appropriate staff forms a key part of NOMS' wide-ranging programme of work to manage the risks of violent extremism and radicalisation in custody. A three-hour module on extremism and radicalisation is delivered to all newly recruited prison officers as part of their initial training. The session raises their awareness of extremism and radicalisation, enabling them to confidently and appropriately identify, report, and manage those prisoners who exhibit extremist behaviours.
	In prisons, bespoke training for staff working with extremist prisoners lasts up to three hours and examines the threat of extremism, how to identify those offenders and looks in detail at specific forms of extremism.

Prisoners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on which occasions Ministers in his Department have taken decisions on (a) moving prisoners into open conditions and (b) releasing prisoners on temporary licence since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: An indeterminate sentence prisoner is transferred to open conditions only after a robust risk assessment and, in most cases, upon the recommendation of the independent Parole Board. In making its risk assessment, the Parole Board is provided with reports from a range of professional staff from within the National Offender Management Service, all of whom can be required to attend the Parole Board hearing and give evidence directly to the Board if required to do so. In making its recommendation, the Board’s overriding priority at all times is the safety of the public.
	Decisions as to whether to accept a Parole Board recommendation to transfer an indeterminate sentence prisoner to open conditions or to direct the transfer of such a prisoner without a Parole Board recommendation are taken by officials within the National Offender Management Service on behalf of Ministers, in accordance with the Carltona principle. Such decisions are not referred to Ministers.
	Decisions to transfer determinate sentence prisoners to open conditions are taken by population managers within the National Offender Management Service. Only prisoners who have been thoroughly risk assessed and categorised as suitable for open conditions will be considered for transfer to open prisons. Decisions on re-categorising prisoners as suitable for open conditions are taken by experienced prison staff with input from offender managers, healthcare and other professional staff using recent information about the prisoner including behaviour while in closed conditions, security and intelligence information and any other risk information that might demonstrate the prisoner’s proven trustworthiness. Decisions are not taken by Ministers.
	Decisions to release prisoners on temporary licence (ROTL) are taken by prison governors and directors, or their delegates, on behalf of the Secretary of State and in line with national guidance issued by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Decisions are taken on the basis of recommendations from a risk assessment board that has taken account of the nature of the offence and any indentified risk factors, the position of known victims, the offender’s record on previous ROTL; their behaviour in prison and progress in tackling their offending behaviour, and any other specific areas of concern relevant to that case. Decisions are not taken by Ministers.

Prisoners' Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether ministerial approval is required for decisions to grant release on temporary licence for (a) all prisoners and (b) those that committed the most serious and violent crimes.

Jeremy Wright: Ministers do not approve individual decisions to release prisoners on temporary licence (ROTL). Decisions are taken by prison governors and directors, or their delegates, on behalf of the Secretary of State and in line with national guidance issued by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). This is in line with the 1994 and 2006 ROTL guidance.
	We commissioned a review of ROTL policy and practice last year. We have introduced a new approach whereby high risk and serious offenders will be subjected to an enhanced regime of restricted ROTL under which temporary release decisions may be made only by the governor or deputy, and the board recommending the decision must consider a psychologist’s review report.

Prisoners' Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were released on temporary licence in each of the last four years (a) on compassionate grounds or to receive medical treatment, (b) to engage in work, paid employment or volunatry work, (c) to receive instruction or training which is not available in prison, (d) to take part in court, tribunal or inquiry proceedings, (e) to consult with his legal adviser, where this cannot reasonably be done within the prison, (f) to help the police with their enquiries, (g) to facilitate the prisoner's transfer between prisons and (h) to help him maintain family ties or to ease the transition from prison life to freedom.

Jeremy Wright: Releases for each of the reasons (a) to (h) given in the question—which are the purposes for which temporary release may be authorised under the Prison Rules—are captured under one or other of the four types of temporary release. Data on the number of temporary releases by type of licence are published annually in table A3.10 of the Offender Management caseload statistics at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual
	The data for the last four years are as follows:
	
		
			  20101 2011 2012 2013 
			 Total Releases — 460,356 484,951 529,350 
			 Special Purpose Licence — 11,779 13,145 11,828 
			 Resettlement Day Release — 429,180 452,424 497,363 
			 Childcare Resettlement Licence — 211 251 226 
			 Resettlement Overnight Release — 19,186 19,131 19,933 
			 1 A new prison database system was introduced mid 2009 which affected the supply of data for statistical purposes from July 2009 to February 2010. Therefore, data for 2010 cannot be provided and are left blank in the table above. Note: There are four types of temporary release: Resettlement day release—which allows people to train, work, maintain contact with their families and undertake general resettlement activities; Resettlement overnight release—which allows prisoners to spend time in the proposed release address; Childcare Resettlement Licence—which allows the release of sole carers of children under 16; and, Special purpose licence—which covers a range of necessary activities not linked to resettlement, such as medical treatment, attending funerals or indeed transferring between prisons, attending court or helping the police

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners who breached their temporary licence conditions in each of the last three years were granted further release on temporary licence.

Jeremy Wright: An answer to this question could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It would entail detailed checking of over 1,100 individual prisoner records relating to those who had breached conditions attached to their temporary release during this period in order to see whether they had subsequently been granted further temporary release.
	The number of temporary release failures remains very low, less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and only around five failures in every 100,000 releases involve alleged offending; but we are keenly aware of understandable public concern about temporary release failures. Towards the end of May we accelerated our plans to improve release on temporary licence (ROTL) policy and practice. We brought forward aspects of the new "restricted ROTL" approach for serious offenders to safeguard the public, and the requirement that no ROTL can take place without a clearly defined, legitimate purpose. In addition, those who have failed to return from or offended on temporary release, or who have absconded or escaped from custody during the current sentence will now be refused temporary release in the absence of exceptional circumstances.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which countries the UK is currently negotiating prisoner transfer agreements.

Jeremy Wright: Prisoner transfer agreements can be a sensitive issue for some countries and it could be counter-productive to reveal details of discussions before they are concluded. However, I can assure you that my ministerial colleagues and I are actively engaging with a number of countries and remain determined to secure compulsory agreements wherever possible.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Ministerial visits to foreign countries during which prisoner transfer agreements were discussed took place (a) between May 1997 and May 2010 and (b) since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Ministers across Government pro-actively raise the prospect of PTAs when they are visiting countries where we have significant numbers of Foreign National Offenders. The issue is also raised when Ministers and senior officials from overseas visit the United Kingdom. We do not hold a central record of all the occasions PTAs have been raised in discussion.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff of his Department were working on prisoner transfer agreements on 1 April (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Jeremy Wright: Since 2010 there have been six officials in the MOJ and NOMS who spend a significant proportion of their time in relation to obtaining and supporting the implementation of Prisoner Transfer Arrangements (PTAs). These officials cover policy, operational and legal roles. This work is a high priority and there is coordinated director level input across Government with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Home Office (HO) officials contributing to the objective to get compulsory PTAs.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme {ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which countries and on what dates the UK has (a) signed and (b) ratified prisoner transfer agreements (i) between May 1997 and May 2010 and (ii) since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1: Prisoner Transfer Arrangements (PTAs) signed between May 1997 and May 2010 
			 Country Date of signature Date came into force Voluntary or Compulsory Agreement (i.e. consent of prisoner required or not) 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 23 June 2003 20 January 2004 Voluntary 
			 Barbados 3 April 2002 2 March 2003 Voluntary 
		
	
	
		
			 Brazil 20 August 1998 11 December 2001 Voluntary 
			 Cuba 13 June 2002 2 July 2003 Voluntary 
			 Commonwealth of Dominica 2 May 2006 1— Voluntary 
			 Dominican Republic 18 February 2003 1— Voluntary 
			 Ghana 17 July 2008 17 July 2008 Voluntary 
			 Hong Kong SAR 5 November 1997 19 March 1998 Voluntary 
			 India 18 February 2005 21 November 2005 Voluntary 
			 Jamaica 26 June 2007 1— Voluntary 
			 Laos 7 May 2009 25 September 2009 Voluntary 
			 Lesotho (provisionally applied on signature) 6 June 2007 1— Voluntary 
			 Libya 17 November 2008 29 April 2009 Compulsory 
			 Morocco 21 February 2002 1 July 2013 Voluntary 
			 Nicaragua 6 September 2005 1— Voluntary 
			 Pakistan 24 August 2007 19 August 2008 Voluntary 
			 Peru 7 March 2003 11 September 2003 Voluntary 
			 Rwanda 11 February 2010 23 November 2010 Compulsory 
			 St. Lucia 27 April 2006 17 June 2008 Voluntary 
			 Sri Lanka 6 February 2003 24 March 2004 Voluntary 
			 Suriname 29 June 2002 1— Voluntary 
			 Uganda 12 September 2008 1— Voluntary 
			 Venezuela 12 June 2012 15 April 2003 Voluntary 
			 Vietnam 12 September 2008 20 September 2009 Voluntary 
			 1 Not in force. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Prisoner Transfer Arrangements (PTAs) signed May 2010 to date 
			 Country Date of signature Date came into force Voluntary or Compulsory Agreement (i.e. consent of prisoner or not) 
			 Albania 15 January 2013 11 June 2013 Compulsory 
			 Nigeria 9 January 2014 1— Compulsory 
			 Saudi Arabia 2 January 2012 2 July 2012 Voluntary 
			 Somaliland (Memorandum of Understanding rather than a PTA) 16 April 2014 16 April 2014 Compulsory 
			 United Arab Emirates 24 January 2013 2 February 2014 Voluntary 
			 1 Not in force—Nigerian PTA will shortly be in force. We are awaiting final exchange of diplomatic notes. First transfers are expected by the end of this calendar year (2014). 
		
	
	In addition to the bilateral prisoner transfer arrangements listed above the United Kingdom became a party to the following multi-party arrangements:
	The Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons
	Signed: 9 February 2009 Entered into Force: 1 November 2009
	Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA of the 27 November 2008 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to judgments in criminal matters imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty for the purpose of their enforcement in the European Union
	Adopted: 27 November 2008 Entered into force: 5 December 2011
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether EU nationals sentenced before 5 December 2011 are eligible for repatriation under the EU Prisoner Transfer Agreement.

Jeremy Wright: Council Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA (The “EU PTA”) entered into force on 5 December 2011. To date 18 Member states, including the UK, have implemented the Agreement. The remainder are expected to do so by the end of this year (2014). Article 28 (2) of the EU PTA enables member states to issue a declaration restricting application of the agreement to persons sentenced on or after 5 December 2011. To date four member states (Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, and Poland) have made declarations under Article 28 (2).
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders. The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed over 240 FNOs to date.
	Whereas this Government have begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

Prisoners: Risk Assessment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many risk assessments on prisoners were carried out by (a) fully-qualified forensic psychologists and (b) trainee psychologists in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: The numbers of risk assessments carried out by psychologists has not routinely been recorded over the last three years; obtaining these figures would require psychology teams to review their paper and electronic records for that period for the entire service, incurring disproportionate cost in the process.

Prisoners: Sexual Offences

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many non-consensual sexual acts, of what type, there were in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: Sexual assaults account for less than 2% of all assault incidents reported. The reporting of sexual assaults does not specify the type of sexual assault that has been committed. The numbers of sexual assaults in prisons are provided in Table 3.9 of the assaults tables in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many reported incidents of assault by Kevin Thakrar on (a) prison officers and (b) other prisoners there were in each of the last four years; how many of those incidents were reported to the police; and in how many of those incidents did Crown Prosecution Service decide (i) not to prosecute and (ii) to prosecute.

Jeremy Wright: NOMS takes the issue of assaults very seriously. It currently has systems in place to deal with perpetrators quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution. It is working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that prisoners who assault staff are charged and punished appropriately.
	To protect the safety of prisoners and prison staff details of incidents by individual prisoners cannot be provided.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many reported incidents of violence inside prisons resulted in (a) an arrest and (b) a charge, by type of offence, in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: NOMS takes the issue of assaults very seriously. It currently has systems in place to deal with perpetrators quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution. It is working closely with the police and CPS to develop a new joint protocol to report crimes in prison—this includes pushing for prosecutions when prison staff are attacked.
	The number of arrests and charges from assault incidents in prison can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Discipline

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of each type were recorded on the Incident Reporting System in (a) privately and (b) publicly run prisons in each month since 1 January 2014.

Jeremy Wright: The Incident Reporting System is used by establishments to record events that undermine the safety of those within an establishment and/or subvert the authority or effectiveness of the establishment's regimes or facilities.
	There is a range of incident types recorded on this system and the data need to undergo validation and assurance before being published. To undertake this on each incident type that is reported takes time and so I will write to you when this information is available for the latest period.

Prisons: Employment

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many jobs have been created by One3One Solutions (a) in England and Wales and (b) in each Prison Service region in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many prisoners were in employment provided by one3one Solutions in (a) England and Wales and (b) each Prison Service region in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: Information is not available to identify separately prison work places specifically attributed to ONE3ONE Solutions, as prisoner work is sourced both by the central ONE3ONE team and by prisons locally.
	The number of prisoners working in industrial activity in public sector prisons in England and Wales increased from around 8,600 in 2010-11 (the first year for which figures are available) to around 9,700 in 2012-13. This was achieved without increasing operating costs to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	Private sector prisons have also been supporting this agenda and have reported that they provided work for some 1,200 prisoners in 2012-13.
	In addition, there are substantial number of prisoners who work in prisons on tasks such as cooking, serving meals, maintenance and cleaning.
	Figures for public sector prisons are published in the NOMS annual report management information addendum, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf
	Historical data broken down by Prison Service region would need to be extracted from different management information systems, quality checked, recorded and formatted. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Probation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many chief executives of probation services have formed a mutual; how many of those mutuals have passed the pre-qualification questionnaire in the competitiveness process of community rehabilitation companies; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: In mid December 2013, we announced the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to bid for the regional rehabilitation contracts. Approximately one third of the bidders included a potential mutual organisation within their consortium. A list of the bidders who have been successful at this stage can be found at:
	https://www.justice.gov.uk/transforming-rehabilitation/competition
	Bids to run the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have yet to be submitted, but are expected by the end of June 2014. The contract winners for each Community Rehabilitation Company are expected be announced by the end of 2014.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unfilled vacancies there were on 1 June 2014 in (a) each community rehabilitation company and (b) the National Probation Service.

Jeremy Wright: The National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) commenced operation on 1 June, and all staff have now moved to the new structure. Detailed information on vacancies is not held centrally. CRCs and NPS divisions are currently developing their work force plans, building on the staff structures inherited from trusts. Once these are completed, they will be reviewed centrally and will inform the current round of recruitment for trainee probation officers. In the meantime, NPS deputy directors and CRCs are continuing to monitor and manage staffing in their areas.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 623W, on procurement, what contracts his Department holds with (a) G4S, (b) Sodexo and (c) Serco for (i) HM Prison Altcourse, (ii) HM Prison/Young Offender Institution Parc, (iii) HM Prison Rye Hill, (iv) HM Prison Bronzefield, (v) HM Prison/Young Offender Institution Forest Bank, (vi) HM Prison Peterborough, (vii) HM Prison Ashfield, (viii) HM Prison Lowdham Grange and (ix) HM Prison Thameside.

Jeremy Wright: The MOJ holds the following contracts with G4S, Sodexo and Serco.
	
		
			 Existing contracted estate prisons Type of contract PFI/MM Contractor (special purpose vehicle (SPV)) Companies House registered name 
			 Altcourse—G4S PFI Fazakerley Prison Services Ltd 
			 Parc—G4S PFI Bridgend Custodial Services Ltd 
		
	
	
		
			 Rye Hill—G4S PFI Onley Prison Services Ltd 
			 Bronzefield—Sodexo PFI Ashford Prison Services Ltd 
			 Forest Bank—Sodexo PFI Agecroft Prison Management Ltd 
			 Peterborough—Sodexo PFI Peterborough Prison Management Ltd 
			 Ashfield—Serco PFI Pucklechurch Custodial Services Ltd 
			 Lowdham Grange—Serco PFI Lowdham Grange Prison Services Ltd 
			 Thameside—Serco PFI BWP Project Services Limited 
			 Key: PFI = Private Finance Initiative. MM = Manage and Maintain.

Secure Colleges

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have received on the use of constraint in secure colleges.

Jeremy Wright: During the passage of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill through this House, my officials and I have received representations from Members of the House and a number of stakeholders on the use of reasonable force for the purposes of ensuring good order and discipline in secure colleges.
	The Bill provides for the use of force by a custody officer in discharging his or her duties, but only in circumstances authorised by secure college rules. At Report stage on 16 May 2014, I announced that we will be consulting on the approach to the rules, while the Bill is still before Parliament.

Secure Colleges

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what equality impact assessments his Department has carried out on the proposed introduction of a secure college.

Jeremy Wright: In accordance with the Ministry of Justice’s duties under the Equality Act 2010, we considered the impact of the proposals set out in the Government’s response to the Transforming Youth Custody Consultation in January 2014. We will consider equalities impacts further as part of the consultation on the approach to the secure college rules during the passage of the Criminal Justice and Court Bill through Parliament, and throughout the development of the project.

Secure Colleges: Construction

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms other than Wates submitted bids for the construction contract for a secure college.

Jeremy Wright: A competition has taken place under the Ministry of Justice’s Strategic Alliance Agreement Framework. Tenders were submitted by four bidders, Carillion, Interserve, Lend Lease and Wates.

Secure Colleges: Leicestershire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the differences are between the current design for the secure college in Leicestershire and the plans for a young offender institute at Glen Parva drawn up in 2009 by HLM Architects.

Jeremy Wright: The secure college will be a step change from the traditional custodial environment of bars on windows and the initial design draws on innovation and learning from developments of community based schools and colleges. Although the secure college will be fundamentally different from a young offenders institution, we are making use of the previous work where relevant.
	The plans drawn up in 2009 were focused on delivering facilities specifically designed for young people, albeit a different cohort. It is therefore inevitable there will be similarities between the design solutions. However, present designs are fully reflective of the broader cohort a secure college could take and the accommodation has been configured accordingly to ensure their safety and well-being.

Serco

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract to deliver the NOMS/European Social Fund project aimed at improving employability prospects of offenders and ex-offenders in the South East region since 1 January 2011.

Jeremy Wright: Serco has incurred no financial penalties in respect of this contract since it commenced on 1 January 2011.

Serco

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what financial penalties have been incurred by Serco in relation to its contract to run Community Payback Services in London since 31 October 2012.

Jeremy Wright: A service credit of £14,409 was raised for this contract.

Serco

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what total amount his Department has paid in payment by results-related bonuses to Serco in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Doncaster since the beginning of that contract.

Jeremy Wright: The Department has made no payment by results-related bonuses to Serco in relation to its contract to run HM Prison Doncaster since the beginning of the contract. Reoffending data from the first offender cohort will be available at the end of July 2014. The results will determine whether any sums are due under the contract.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners undertook the (a) Core Sex Offender Treatment Programme, (b) Extended Sex Offender Treatment Programme, (c) Healthy Sex Programme, (d) Becoming New Me Programme, (e) New Me Coping Programme, (f) Living as New Me Programme and (g) all sex offender treatment programmes in each prison in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: We provide a range of programmes for this highly complex group of offenders. These are tailored to address an individual's risk and need, and can also include substance misuse, anger management and violence reduction. Sex offender treatment programmes are not suitable for every prisoner. In each case a thorough assessment will be carried out. We are looking to make sure that the resources we are targeting specifically towards sex offenders deal with the highest risk sex offenders and have created the Sex Offender Management Board to address this. This should lead to increased high risk sex offenders accessing programmes. A greater focus has been placed on higher risk offenders who pose the greatest risk of harm to the public and this therefore requires investment in lengthier more expensive programmes which offer greater benefit to the public. This may result in a reduction in overall places but represents a better investment in public protection. This is why simply looking at the number of starts or completions does not tell the full story. The following table sets out the number of prisoners by establishment and in total who started each of the named programmes in the financial years 2009-10 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 Location Programme name 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Grand total 
			 Albany Core Programme 36 54 63 36 189 
			  Extended Programme 27 27 27 18 99 
			 Albany Total  63 81 90 54 288 
			        
			 Aylesbury Becoming New Me — — — 5 5 
			  Core Programme 17 18 18 18 71 
			 Aylesbury Total  17 18 18 23 76 
			        
			 Brixton Core Programme — — — 17 17 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning — — — 2 2 
			  Rolling Programme — — 4 15 19 
			 Brixton Total  — — 4 34 38 
			        
			 Bullingdon Becoming New Me — — — 5 5 
			  Better Lives Booster 9 18 9 9 45 
			  Core Programme 27 27 27 18 99 
			  Rolling Programme 33 36 32 29 130 
			 Bullingdon Total  69 81 68 61 279 
			        
		
	
	
		
			 Bure Better Lives Booster — 27 9 27 63 
			  Core Programme — 45 27 27 99 
			  Extended Programme — — 18 9 27 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning — — — 2 2 
			 Bure Total  — 72 54 65 191 
			        
			 Channings Wood Better Lives Booster 18 26 18 27 89 
			  Core Programme 9 9 18 9 45 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning — — — 4 4 
			 Channings Wood Total  27 35 36 40 138 
			        
			 Frankland Adapted Better Lives Booster — 8 7 — 15 
			  Becoming New Me 8 8 10 10 36 
			  Core Programme 18 27 18 27 90 
			  Extended Programme — — 10 9 19 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning 2 4 — 2 8 
			 Frankland Total  28 47 45 48 168 
			        
			 Full Sutton Core Programme 9 18 18 14 59 
			  Extended Programme 9 16 17 9 51 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning 3 3 2 7 15 
			  Rolling Programme 15 — — 1 16 
			 Full Sutton Total  36 37 37 31 141 
			        
			 Hull Becoming New Me 16 8 8 8 40 
			  Core Programme 18 27 18 37 100 
			  New Me Coping — — 7 — 7 
			  Rolling Programme 37 35 4 1 77 
			 Hull Total  71 70 37 46 224 
			        
			 Littlehey Core Programme 27 9 18 18 72 
			  Rolling Programme 35 37 39 37 148 
			 Littlehey Total  62 46 57 55 220 
			        
			 Maidstone Better Lives Booster 16 26 34 17 93 
			  Core Programme 18 18 18 18 72 
			  Rolling Programme 17 — — — 17 
			 Maidstone Total  51 44 52 35 182 
			        
			 Manchester Becoming New Me 8 8 — — 16 
			  Core Programme 7 9 9 — 25 
			 Manchester Total  15 17 9 — 41 
			        
			 Northumberland1 Becoming New Me — 8 8 — 16 
			  Better Lives Booster — 15 15 7 37 
			  Core Programme 9 18 9 27 63 
			  Rolling Programme 21 — — — 21 
			 Northumberland Total  30 41 32 34 137 
			        
			 Parc Rolling Programme 32 32 31 27 122 
			 Parc Total  32 32 31 27 122 
			        
			 Risley Core Programme 9 18 18 9 54 
			  Extended Programme 18 18 19 9 64 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning 8 5 8 5 26 
			  Rolling Programme 28 23 22 28 101 
		
	
	
		
			 Risley Total  63 64 67 51 245 
			        
			 Rye Hill Becoming New Me 6 16 8 8 38 
			  Core Programme 43 18 18 27 106 
			 Rye Hill Total  49 34 26 35 144 
			        
			 Shepton Mallet Better Lives Booster 27 9 18 17 71 
			  Core Programme — 9 — 9 18 
			  Extended Programme 9 18 9 9 45 
			 Shepton Mallet Total  36 36 27 35 134 
			        
			 Stafford Core Programme 27 27 27 18 99 
			  Rolling Programme 33 36 35 11 115 
			 Stafford Total  60 63 62 29 214 
			        
			 Swinfen Hall Adapted Better Lives Booster — — 8 8 16 
			  Becoming New Me 16 8 8 8 40 
			  Better Lives Booster — 9 9 18 36 
			  Core Programme 27 9 17 26 79 
			  Extended Programme 9 9 9 9 36 
			 Swinfen Hall Total  52 35 51 69 207 
			        
			 Usk Adapted Better Lives Booster — 9 9 — 18 
			  Becoming New Me 8 — 8 8 24 
			  Better Lives Booster — 9 9 8 26 
			  Core Programme 9 9 18 27 63 
			  Extended Programme 18 9 9 9 45 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning — 2 4 3 9 
			 Usk Total  35 38 57 55 185 
			        
			 Wakefield Adapted Better Lives Booster 8 — — — 8 
			  Becoming New Me — 8 — — 8 
			  Better Lives Booster — 9 — 9 18 
			  Core Programme 27 9 27 18 81 
			  Extended Programme — 18 — 9 27 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning 2 — — — 2 
			 Wakefield Total  37 44 27 36 144 
			        
			 Wandsworth Core Programme 27 27 26 — 80 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning 1 2 2 — 5 
			  Rolling Programme 38 38 24 — 100 
			 Wandsworth Total  66 67 52 — 185 
			        
			 Wayland Better Lives Booster 9 — — — 9 
			  Core Programme 8 — — — 8 
			  Rolling Programme 18 — — — 18 
			 Wayland Total  35 — — — 35 
			        
			 Whatton Adapted Better Lives Booster 16 16 24 16 72 
			  Becoming New Me 24 16 8 12 60 
			  Better Lives Booster 36 27 36 27 126 
			  Core Programme 36 9 45 45 135 
			  Extended Programme 9 18 27 27 81 
			  Healthy Sexual Functioning — — 5 10 15 
			  Rolling Programme 55 58 35 35 183 
		
	
	
		
			 Whatton Total  176 144 180 172 672 
			        
			 Wymott Adapted Programme 8 — — — 8 
			  Becoming New Me 8 8 16 8 40 
			  Better Lives Booster — — 9 7 16 
			  Core Programme 27 35 18 27 107 
			 Wymott Total  43 43 43 42 171 
			        
			 Grand Total  1,153 1,189 1,162 1,077 4,581 
			 1 Figures refer to Acklington prior to merger with Castington to become Northumberland in 2011-12.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time for a sex offender treatment programme is (a) across the whole prison estate and (b) in those prisons holding sex offenders.

Jeremy Wright: NOMS run a number of different sexual offending treatment programmes across various prison types and security categories. The range of courses and individual circumstances of the offenders waiting to undertake them means that it is not possible to provide a meaningful average waiting time for these programmes. Prisoners' access can be dependent upon a number of factors which include their level of motivation, risk of recidivism, treatment history or sentence plan, and their sentence length and release date or tariff expiry. Once referred for a programme, access will also depend on whether other prisoners are considered to take priority for that programme on factors such as level of risk and release date.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time is for appeals for those who have had their benefits sanctioned.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits.
	HMCTS does not record data specifically relating to appeals against sanctions imposed by DWP and does not therefore hold the information requested.

Trials

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many trials were stayed in each of the last four years.

Shailesh Vara: While stays are recorded on HMCTS’ case management systems in the Crown Court and magistrates courts they are not recorded in a way that allows them to identify how many trials were stayed. This could be done only by manually checking every case file at disproportionate cost.

Victim Support Schemes

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that funds devolved to the budgets of police and crime commissioners for victims' services are allocated according to crime rates.

Damian Green: Funding for the commissioning of victims' services has been allocated to Police and Crime Commissioners using a transparent formula based solely on population data. One of the reasons we are moving to a local commissioning model is to allow Police and Crime Commissioners to provide services tailored to meet local needs. The population based formula ensures that funding is allocated according to where the victim lives, and therefore where they will likely seek the support of victims' services. Additionally the relatively low variation in distribution of population between areas year on year means these proportions should remain relatively stable over time.

Victim Support Schemes: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much core grant was provided to fund Victim Support services in the (a) Crown Court Witness Service and (b) Magistrates Court Witness Service in North Yorkshire in each year since 2004-05.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice provides a core grant of £38 million to Victim Support of which £12 million is used to fund the provision of emotional and practical support for witnesses at criminal courts who wish to receive this service.
	The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collect data on how this funding is distributed by Victim Support.

HEALTH

Air Pollution

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 178W, from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, on air pollution, for what reasons an assessment has not been made of the deaths caused by short-term exposures to elevated levels of air pollutants in the years since 2010.

Jane Ellison: Estimates of deaths attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution in United Kingdom local authorities in 2010 were published by Public Health England in April 2014. The mortality burden for the UK was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths.
	Public Health England does not routinely estimate the deaths associated with short-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants, as these effects are thought to overlap with the mortality effects of long-term exposure to air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution is understood to be a contributory factor to deaths from respiratory and, particularly, cardiovascular disease, for example, unlikely to be the sole cause of deaths of individuals. This means that it is likely that air pollution contributes a smaller amount to the deaths of a larger number of exposed individuals rather than being solely responsible for a number of deaths equivalent to the calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths’.

Ambulance Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average ambulance response times in (a) Doncaster, (b) Barnsley, (c) Rotherham and (d) Sheffield was in each year since May 2010; and what the national average response time was in each of those years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	Information is not available before 2011.
	
		
			 Median ambulance response times to treatment for category A1 (red 1 and red 2 calls require staff to arrive at the scene of the incident within eight minutes in 75% of cases) calls for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, April 2011 to April 2014 
			 Month Median time to treatment for Category A calls (in minutes) 
			 April 2011 5.4 
			 May 2011 5.2 
			 June 2011 5.2 
			 July 2011 5.3 
			 August 2011 5.2 
			 September 2011 5.2 
			 October 2011 5.3 
			 November 2011 5.2 
			 December 2011 5.4 
			 January 2012 5.0 
			 February 2012 5.3 
			 March 2012 5.1 
			 April 2012 4.9 
			 May 2012 5.0 
			 June 2012 5.1 
			 July 2012 5.3 
			 August 2012 5.3 
			 September 2012 5.5 
			 October 2012 5.5 
			 November 2012 5.5 
			 December 2012 6.0 
			 January 2013 5.7 
			 February 2013 5.7 
			 March 2013 5.5 
			 April 2013 5.3 
			 May 2013 5.2 
			 June 2013 5.3 
			 July 2013 5.6 
			 August 2013 5.6 
			 September 2013 5.5 
			 October 2013 5.6 
			 November 2013 5.7 
			 December 2013 5.9 
			 January 2014 5.5 
			 February 2014 5.7 
			 March 2014 5.6 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2014 6.4 
			 1 Category A calls are defined as those that are the result of immediately life threatening incidents. Note: It is not possible to calculate the median time to treatment for England from the medians for individual Ambulance Trust. Source: Ambulance quality indicators, NHS England www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators

Armed Forces: In Vitro Fertilisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the policy of NHS England on the number of cycles of IVF it provides to armed forces personnel is to provide fewer than the number recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has a number of interim policies in place, including the policy for the provision of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for armed forces personnel.
	A review of the interim policy in relation to the provision of IVF for armed forces personnel has recently been undertaken. Following detailed costing of a move to the levels recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, it was agreed in May 2014 to increase the number of cycles of IVF to three if clinically appropriate and if eligibility criteria are met.

Cancer

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with Public Health England over a possible nationwide roll-out of the recent Be Clear on Cancer pilot study for oesophago-gastric cancer in the North East.

Jane Ellison: We want to lead the world in cancer care and are investing over £750 million, over four years up till 2014-15, including £450 million in the early diagnosis of cancer, including oesophago-gastric cancers.
	The earlier diagnosis money is designed to support earlier diagnosis of cancer by improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms through centrally-funded Be Clear on Cancer campaigns; increasing general practitioner access to key diagnostic tests; and to pay for extra testing and treatment in secondary care.
	Be Clear on Cancer campaigns are tested at a local and regional level, before a decision is taken on whether to run them nationally throughout England. Following a local pilot which ran from April to July 2012, we ran a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign from 10 February to 9 March 2014 raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophago-gastric cancer in the north-east and north Cumbria. The campaign included television, radio, press and outdoor advertising. The findings of this pilot are being evaluated by Public Health England, which works closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals, before a decision is taken on whether to roll out the campaign nationally throughout England.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Clinical Director for Cancer on the performance of the NHS against the waiting time targets for cancer treatment.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has had a number of discussions with senior members of NHS England’s executive team on the performance of the national health service against the waiting time targets for cancer treatment, but not with the National Clinical Director for Cancer.

Continuing Care

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group takes account of evidence from (a) patients, (b) clinicians and (c) patient groups when making decisions on the availability of treatments for progressive conditions.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) is an advisory group and not a decision-making body. It considers policy and makes recommendations to the Directly Commissioned Services Committee which makes the final decisions on NHS England's commissioning position.
	The group's membership includes four Patient and Public Voice members and senior clinicians from NHS England. The policies that are presented to CPAG for consideration are developed by Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs) who are made up of patients, clinicians, and key stakeholders including patient groups. These members are involved in the development of policies.
	Prior to submission of any documents to CPAG, a two week stakeholder testing phase is undertaken where registered CRG stakeholders, including clinicians, patients, and patient groups, as well as industry, have an opportunity to make comments. These are considered as well as the evidence base for the policy by CPAG.

Cystic Fibrosis

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review prescription charges for adults with cystic fibrosis.

Daniel Poulter: In 2010, responding to Professor Sir Ian Gilmore’s review into extending entitlement to free prescriptions to all those with a long-term condition, the Government made clear that in light of the challenging financial context, no changes would be made to the current list of exemptions. Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the national health service to maintain vital services for patients.
	The extensive system of exemption arrangements, including for those on low incomes who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions, which is in place means that around 90% of all prescription items are already dispensed free of charge. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions. This is the fifth year the cost of an annual certificate, and the third year the cost of a three-month certificate, have been frozen. Both certificates will also remain at £104 and £29.10 respectively, next year. There is no limit to the number of items that can be obtained through a PPC. The annual certificate benefits anyone needing more than 12 items a year, and the three-month certificate, anyone needing more than three items in that three-month period.

Dementia

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings have taken place with the (a) OECD, (b) WHO and (c) European Commission following the G8 Dementia summit; and what the outcome of these meetings was.

Norman Lamb: A number of key meetings and telephone calls have taken place between departmental officials and colleagues in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. One of which was a key meeting to discuss their support to the World Dementia Council.
	To maintain momentum following the G8 summit, a dementia side event was held during the World Health Assembly (the decision body of World Health Organisation (WHO)), in Geneva in May 2014. The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), launched the Global Dementia and Alzheimer’s Action Alliance. This will be the first global body to bring together Government, the health and care sector, charities, the voluntary sector and wider civil society.
	Dr Dennis Gillings CBE, the World Dementia Envoy and departmental officials met Margaret Chan, director general of WHO on 5 June 2014. Discussion took place in relation to supporting the World Dementia Council in an advisory capacity and the G8 declaration. Dr Chan welcomed the great efforts and leadership of the United Kingdom Government and the envoy. Dr Chan agreed to collaborate with the envoy and the UK on a joint work programme. There was also positive discussion in relation to WHO supporting further meetings and hosting platforms.
	No meetings have taken place with the European Commission as yet, but plans are under way for this to happen in July 2014.

Dental Services: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children have been seen by a dentist in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) the North West in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have been seen by a dentist in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) the North West in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The following tables show the number of children (less than 18 years of age), and the number of patients, seen in the specified national health service organisations for dental care in the 24-month period ending 31 March each year.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of children (less than 18 years of age) in the specified NHS organisations in the 24-month period ending 31 March each year 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 
			 North West SHA 1,104,947 1,111,438 1,117,196 1,120,966 — 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 58,229 60,995 62,794 64,043 — 
			 Lancashire AT — — — — 230,290 
			 East Lancashire CCG — — — — 62,022 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of patients seen in the specified NHS organisations in the 24-month period ending 31 March each year 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 
			 North West SHA 4,180,855 4,251,505 4,302,218 4,323,082 — 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 186,295 200,034 210,839 219,406 — 
			 Lancashire AT — — — — 859,873 
			 East Lancashire CCG — — — — 218,979 
			 Notes: 1. The Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes the numbers of patients seen by an NHS dentist, including work undertaken by dentists under vocational training and orthodontic patients. It does not, however, cover dental treatment carried out in hospital under Hospital Dental Services, nor under services provided privately. 2. Latest information is available at clinical commissioning group (CCG) and area team (AT). Earlier years are only available at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA). It is not possible to map earlier information to the new NHS organisation structure. 3. East Lancashire Teaching PCT and East Lancashire CCG have been provided as the closest proximity to Pendle constituency. 4. The patients seen measure shows the unique number of patients who received NHS dental care in the previous 24 months. An equivalent measure covering the 12 month period is not available. Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre

Exercise: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many adults in (a) East Lancashire, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West exercised for at least 30 minutes a week during the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no such estimate. However, the Active People Survey commissioned by Sport England measures the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) who undertake some form of physical activity at moderate intensity (or higher). Data from the most recent survey can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Proportion of the adult population (age 16 years and over) participating in 30 or more equivalent minutes of moderate activity per week—Active People Survey (APS) data, 2012 
			 Area 30+ minutes (Percentage) 
			 England 71.5 
			 North West Region 68.8 
			 Lancashire County 69.6 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 63.1 
			 Blackpool UA 65.1 
			 Burnley 65.0 
			 Chorley 75.3 
			 Fylde 68.0 
			 Hyndburn 63.7 
			 Lancaster 74.4 
			 Pendle 66.1 
			 Preston 69.3 
			 Ribble Valley 74.1 
			 Rossendale 66.8 
			 South Ribble 69.5 
		
	
	
		
			 West Lancashire 73.3 
			 Wyre 65.6 
			 Notes: 1. The data were collected between January 2012 to January 2013 (APS6 Quarter 2 to APS7 Quarter 1). 2. The APS is commissioned by Sport England and measures the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) participating in sport and/or undertaking some form of physical activity at moderate intensity (or higher). 3. The survey uses a 28-day reference period to record the number of minutes of physical activity (of at least 10 minutes) and then divides the number of minutes by four to come up with a weekly average (e.g. two hours of physical activity over the 28 days equates to 30 minutes per week). Number of minutes presented is the equivalent minutes of moderate activity, which consists of moderate activity plus double the number of vigorous minutes of activity. 4. The activities included in the APS are; sport, recreational cycling and walking, walking and cycling for active travel purposes, dance and gardening. 5. The percentages are weighted to adjust the results so that they are representative of the whole population at local authority, regional and national level. 6. Further information and data are available at these websites: www.noo.org.uk/data_sources/physical_activity/activepeople www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey.aspx Source: Active People Survey, Sport England

Eyesight

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had eye tinnitus in the latest period figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: These data are not collected.
	We understand the term ‘eye tinnitus' stems from a recent study which claims to have identified this new condition in a set of patients previously diagnosed as suffering from migraines or other neurological disorders.

Fertility

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the forthcoming National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard on fertility will be considered for a CCG outcome indicator.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its final quality standard on fertility. NICE’s Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCGOIS) Advisory Committee makes recommendations on potential indicators derived from its published guidance and quality standards for inclusion in the CCGOIS which are then considered by NHS England.

General Practitioners

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at the end of the process what assessment he has made of how many practices in (a) Tower Hamlets and (b) England will (i) lose and (ii) gain financially from the seven-year reduction of the minimum practice income guarantees.

Daniel Poulter: The minimum practice income guarantee payment is unfair because practices serving very similar populations are paid very different amounts per patient. The payments are being phased out over a seven-year period to allow practices time to adjust.
	The money released by doing this will be reinvested in the basic payments made to all general medical services practices, which are based on numbers of patients and key determinants of practice workload, such as the age and health needs of patients.
	NHS England has undertaken an analysis to identify the small number of practices that will lose the largest amount of funding per patient as a result of the phasing out of the minimum practice income guarantee, and will work with those practices to ensure that high quality services for their local populations are maintained.

General Practitioners

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places for general practice were (a) commissioned and (b) filled in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department set up Health Education England (HEE) to deliver a better health and healthcare workforce for England. HEE is responsible for ensuring a secure workforce supply for the future balancing need against demand, taking into account factors such as the age profile of the existing workforce, the impact of technology, and new drugs.
	The Department has recognised the need to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce and between September 2010 and September 2013 the number of full-time equivalent GPs has risen by 1,051. Additionally, the Department has included in the HEE mandate a requirement that “HEE will ensure that 50% of trainees completing foundation level training enter GP training programmes by 2016”.
	Further work is being undertaken by HEE to improve applications and fill rate in to GP training to support the mandate target of 3,250 appointments into GP training by 2016 in England. This includes a review of the GP recruitment process, developing a pre-GP year to give exposure to prospective GP applicants of the specialty and careers advice for foundation doctors and medical students.
	In recognition of the contribution the GP workforce makes in the NHS, HEE will also undertake additional work on GP recruitment and retention, return to practice and reducing attrition rates, all of which will play a part in increasing the GP workforce.
	The following table indicates the number of posts commissioned and filled and the fill rate for GP training in England for the last five years. The number of posts has been increased for 2014 to 2,946 to support the Government’s mandate requirement for HEE to increase GP training.
	
		
			  Posts commissioned Posts filled Percentage filled 
			 2010 2,732 2,800 102.49 
			 2011 2,672 2,658 99.48 
			 2012 2,687 2,669 99.33 
			 2013 2,761 2,738 99.17 
			 2014 3,043 2,630 89.27 
			 Source: HEE data. 
		
	
	Deferment resulting from factors such as maternity leave can cause a higher than 100% fill rate in some years.

General Practitioners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which GP practices have been identified by NHS England as potentially losing more than £3 per patient in 2014-15 following the withdrawal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has published an anonymised list of ‘outliers’ which can be found at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/gp-gms-practices.pdf
	Because the information is commercially sensitive, details that could identify individual practices have not been released.
	The Minimum Practice Income Guarantee is being phased out over a period of seven years because it is inequitable, and the money released will be reinvested into basic payments made to all General Medical Services practices.
	NHS England is supporting the most affected practices.

General Practitioners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of being able to access a GP appointment within 48 hours on levels of patient satisfaction.

Daniel Poulter: Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing a general practitioner (GP) appointment at a convenient time, ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.
	The Government recognise the importance of timely access to general practice. The PM Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give GPs the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population.
	In addition, the new GP contract introduced a new enhanced service, which includes a commitment to same day phone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.

General Practitioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 265W, on general practitioners: Suffolk, how much his Department spent funding each general practice in England in 2012-13; and what spending type and GP Practice code applies in each case.

Daniel Poulter: The requested information is not collected centrally. The Investment in General Practice report published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre includes the investment in General Practice and the reimbursement of drugs dispensed in General Practices at national level. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Health Centres: Burntwood

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons NHS England has refused to proceed with the proposed new health centre for Burntwood in Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is responsible for deciding on the funding given to general practitioner (GP) practices to reimburse them for their premises costs.
	We are advised that capital development schemes that had not been formally approved by former primary care trust boards by 1 October 2012 have been reviewed by NHS England. This includes the Burntwood Leisure Centre development. NHS England concluded, following assessment, that the scheme did not meet the requirements for prioritisation, and it was therefore not approved. These requirements include, but not exhaustively, service continuity, affordability and value for money. It was noted that the project had not received an unequivocally clear commitment from a number of the potential occupiers of the centre.
	We understand from NHS England that discussions are ongoing regarding alternative schemes to replace the Burntwood Leisure Centre development. NHS England continues to work with the GPs and other partners.
	My hon. Friend may wish to approach the NHS England Shropshire and Staffordshire Area Team for further information.

Health Services: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland to discuss the proposed closure of (a) minor injuries units at Guisborough and East Cleveland Hospitals, (b) Skelton Medical Centre, (c) Park End Clinic and (d) Skelton NHS Walk-in-Centre.

Daniel Poulter: These are matters for the local national health service. The hon. Member should engage with the NHS at a local level.
	The Government are committed to devolving decision-making about local NHS services to local clinicians and communities. It is general practitioners clinicians, patients and local authorities who are best placed to determine the nature of their NHS services.

Health Services: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality of provision of primary care in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

Daniel Poulter: No assessment has been made centrally. NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of primary care health services and for securing the best possible outcomes for patients.

Health: Business

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies who have signed up to one or more pledges set out in the Responsibility Deal; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of those companies which are meeting all of the pledges they have signed up to.

Jane Ellison: 675 partners are currently signed up to the Responsibility Deal. Details of these partners, the pledges they are committed to taking action on and their annual updates are available in full on the Responsibility Deal website at:
	https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/partners/

Health: Disadvantaged

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of Public Health England in reducing inequalities of health outcomes by making improvements in (a) housing conditions and (b) employment capability.

Jane Ellison: Housing and work are two areas that influence health outcomes. In his strategic review of health inequalities, Professor Sir Michael Marmot reminded us all of the link between people’s health and “the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age”.
	Public Health England (PHE) has a key role in highlighting the health impact of these issues on health outcomes and health inequalities. It is undertaking a range of work on housing, homelessness and health issues to support and inform national and local stakeholders, including its National Conversation on Health Inequalities, which will help focus future work in this area.
	PHE also launched the Healthy People, Healthy Places programme in November 2013—helping to improve the nation’s health through better planning and design to reduce the impact of a poor physical and natural environment is a PHE priority.

Heart Diseases

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many keyhole surgery operations for heart surgery were carried out in (a) East Lancashire and (b) Airedale in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)1 with a main or secondary procedure2 performed on the heart using a minimal access approach or performed percutaneous transluminally using image control3 for Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Blackburn with Darwen PCT of treatment for the years 2010-11 to 2012-134 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 PCT of treatment  Provider  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT RCF Airedale NHS Foundation Trust 710 676 659 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT NVC20 The Yorkshire Clinic * — — 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT RAE Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1,015 1,028 957 
		
	
	
		
			 TAP Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 1,867 2,466 2,568 
			 1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. 2. Number of episodes with a main or secondary procedure The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 4 prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a ‘cataract operation’ would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. 3. OPCS 4 Codes K01 to K78 Heart Y74 to Y76 Minimal access approaches (must appear immediately after a code from K01 to K78) Y79 Approach to organ through artery (must appear immediately after a code from K01 to K78) Y53 Approach to organ under image control (can appear in any procedure position following a code from K01 to K78) Y78 Arteriotomy approach to organ under image control (can appear in any procedure position following a code from K01 - K78) 4. Assessing growth through time (Inpatients) HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 5. Small numbers To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify figures from the total, additional figures have been replaced with "*". Where the symbol "-" (dash) appears this represents the absence of data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Hepatitis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to include a specific hepatitis C indicator in the public health outcomes framework.

Jane Ellison: The public health outcomes framework for 2013-16 (PHOF) already includes an indicator on under-75 mortality rate from liver disease (PHOF indicator 4.6), which is shared with the NHSOF (indicator 1.3) and an indicator on mortality from communicable diseases (indicator 4.8). Both of these indicators cover hepatitis C.
	In support of these indicators, Public Health England is working to reverse the current trend in hepatitis C, so that the rates of death and disability are reduced, including working with local authorities and the NHS in those areas with high levels of hepatitis C to put effective strategies in place.
	The Department is not planning to add new indicators to the PHOF until April 2016 to provide local authorities with stability in planning and commissioning public health interventions. The Department is planning to begin a review of the current PHOF in 2015.

Hepatitis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that people who are homeless are (a) able to access hepatitis C services and (b) supported in completing treatment for that condition;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to improve hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment rates among (a) South Asian populations, (b) homeless people, (c) injecting drug users and (d) other at-risk groups.

Jane Ellison: The commissioning of local hepatitis C services, including bespoke services for homeless people or other at-risk groups, is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England expects that decisions made by local CCGs will take account of the needs of their local populations.
	A range of materials has been published to help CCGs commission relevant services. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on improving uptake of testing and diagnosis for hepatitis C in risk groups. Public Health England has published a commissioning template to support commissioning of hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment services. Guidance for commissioning bespoke services for homeless people has been published by the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health.
	The Department supports the Inclusion Health programme which champions the health and health care of vulnerable groups, including homeless people. The programme seeks to improve the health data for these groups, and set out practical steps for assessing needs (eg through Joint Strategic Need Assessments) and commissioning services. We are also involved in funding work in this area through the Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund to improve hospital discharge arrangements for people who are homeless (£10 million 2013-14) and £40 million capital fund for hostel refurbishment with a focus on improving health outcomes (2014-15).

Hepatitis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that hepatitis C services are prioritised at local level.

Jane Ellison: Commissioning of local hepatitis C services is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England expects that decisions made by local CCGs will be based on clinical insight and take account of the needs of the local population overall.
	Public Health England supports work on local prioritisation of hepatitis C services by producing factsheets for local government, publishing a template to support commissioning by estimating the number of people infected with hepatitis C locally and the costs of treatment. Public Health England is also developing local liver profiles (to be published) at local authority level which includes key local statistics and prevention guidance on hepatitis C and questions which should be asked locally by local authority Health and Wellbeing Boards.

Hepatitis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives are in place to improve the uptake of hepatitis C treatment nationally.

Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups have considerable local flexibility to introduce incentives where they wish to prioritise a particular issue, based on their population needs. There are no national incentives in place to support improved uptake of hepatitis C treatment in England.

Home Care Services

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that high-cost drugs are delivered to cystic fibrosis patients on time;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the commissioning of homecare services by the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: It is important that patients, including those with cystic fibrosis, get those high cost drugs provided through homecare services on time.
	The Department commissioned a review of homecare medicine supply arrangements to ensure they deliver the best value for patients, the national health service and the provider market. The review report, Homecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future, was published in December 2011 and is available at:
	http://media.dh.gov.uk/network/121/files/2011/12/111201-Homecare-Medicines-Towards-a-Vision-for-the-Future2.pdf
	The outcome of subsequent improvement work is summarised in the further report, Homecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future—Taking Forward the Recommendations, published in May 2014 and available at:
	www.uhns.nhs.uk/AboutUs/NHSHomecareMedicinesinEngland.aspx
	NHS England issued a patient safety alert on minimising the risks of omitted and delayed medicines for patients receiving homecare services on 10 April 2014. This recommended that all health care organisations that commission clinical homecare services:
	establish if medicine homecare services were used by their organisation and if incidents of omitted and delayed medicines had occurred;
	consider whether immediate action needed to be taken locally and, if required, develop an action plan, to reduce risk and the potential risk to patients;
	disseminate the alert to all medical, nursing, pharmacy and other staff involved in the care of homecare patients; and
	report patient safety incidents concerning homecare to the National Reporting and Learning Service.
	A copy of the patient safety alert is available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/psa-omitted-delayed-meds.pdf
	The Department continues to work with NHS England, homecare companies, pharmaceutical suppliers and the NHS to ensure that homecare arrangements are safe and deliver value for the NHS and improved outcomes for patients.

Human Papillomavirus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) women and (b) men have cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

Jane Ellison: At present the number of people living with Human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers is not known for several reasons:
	there is no nationally collated database of individual patients’ records containing the HPV status of their cancers;
	prevalence figures are not known for all types of cancer i.e. the number of people who have been diagnosed and are still alive; and
	many people alive after treatment of cancer will have been cured and will not consider themselves to be still living with a cancer.
	However, it has been estimated by Parkin1 that the number of new cases per year of cancers in the United Kingdom which may be HPV related as 5,088 (1.6% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases). Of these, 4,058 are females and 1,030 are males. This is based on incidence rates for 2010.
	1 Parkin, D M. Cancers attributable to infection in the UK in 2010
	British Journal of Cancer (2011) 105, S49 – S56; doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.484
	Public Health England (PHE) has calculated a prevalence estimate for the number of women who are currently alive following treatment of their cervical cancer and this is at least 19,000. Many of these will be cured.
	Later this year PHE will publish prevalence estimates i.e. the number of people living with the other types of HPV related cancers.

Human Papillomavirus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost in each year since 2010 of treating cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

Jane Ellison: This information is not held centrally.

Maternity Services

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the money allocated by his Department to improve birthing environments was spent in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the breakdown of the money allocated by the Department to improve birthing environments in 2012-13 and 2013-14 has been placed in the Library.

Maternity Services

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with NHS England about ensuring that all trusts provide the necessary facilities and support to ensure that families can be with their babies while they are in neonatal care, as set out in the national service specification for neonatal critical care.

Daniel Poulter: The Department and NHS England regularly discuss maternity and newborn care.
	NHS England's Neonatal Service Specification requires that all commissioned providers of neonatal services provide appropriate family facilities. The current service specification states that:
	Facilities should be available to support family centred care including access to parent accommodation, private and comfortable breastfeeding/expressing facilities, and private room for confidential conversations and so on.
	A revised specification has recently been drafted, within which this statement has been strengthened. The revised draft specification has been out to public consultation and the Clinical Reference Group is currently responding to the comments received. It is anticipated that the revised service specification will be included in NHS England contracts with providers from April 2015.
	As part of NHS England's Service Specification Compliance process, all units will have assessed their level of compliance against the service specification. Where relevant, units will have highlighted where they are not yet meeting this requirement. In those circumstances, the Area Team Commissioner and the relevant provider will have agreed an action plan for achievement of the standard, where is it not currently being met, within 12 months. The actual facilities provided for families are locally determined and the exact number of overnight beds may therefore vary from service to service.

Maternity Services

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what savings are planned for neonatal care under the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention Initiative for 2014-15;
	(2)  how the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention savings for neonatal care will be realised.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England, as part of its direct commissioning responsibilities for specialised services, has an ongoing programme in place to identify both local and national opportunities to identify potential efficiencies as part of its management and prioritisation of available resources.
	NHS England’s Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), involving lead clinical, patient and professional representatives, are assisting NHS England in this work, particularly in respect of proposals that might be considered nationwide.
	Specialised neonatal care is one of NHS England’s most significant areas of expenditure and the Neonatal CRG has therefore been involved in identifying potential neonatal specific schemes, which may have the potential to deliver savings while maintaining safety and quality. The schemes will be subject to a confirm and challenge process to determine their deliverability, before being worked up into schemes which could be implemented on a national basis.
	It is therefore not possible, at this stage in the programme’s development, to quantify the level of savings that might be generated nationally or the specific savings approach that will be adopted.
	It is unlikely that the national schemes currently being considered will generate savings in 2014-15. The schemes are more likely to be transformational in design and therefore are more likely to deliver savings in the longer term.

Maternity Services

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children spent (a) up to two weeks, (b) two to four weeks, (c) four to six weeks and (d) more than six weeks in hospital immediately after being born in England in the last year for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is set out in the table.
	This is based on finished discharge episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of “Z38—Live born infants according to place of birth”, by length of stay for the year 2012-13 and covers activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.
	It should be noted that the length of stay in hospital is only available on the final episode of care in a hospital provider. Therefore the total of “other/unknown” lengths of stay recorded includes those births that have not resulted in a discharge, such as where the baby has been transferred to the care of another consultant.
	
		
			 Length of stay Finished discharge episodes 
			 Up to two weeks 617,189 
			 Two to four weeks 5,227 
			 Four to six weeks 1,680 
			 Six weeks+ 1,778 
			 Other/unknown 47,133 
			 Notes: 1. Finished Discharge Episode: A discharge episode is the last episode during a hospital stay (a spell), where the patient is discharged from the hospital or transferred to another hospital. 2. Primary or secondary diagnosis: The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 3. ICD10 code: The following ICD10 code was used to identify a live born infant: Z38—Live born infants according to place of birth. 4. Length of stay (duration of spell): The difference in days between the admission date and the episode end date (duration of episode) or discharge date (duration of spell), where both dates are given. LOS is based on hospital stays and only applies to ordinary admissions not day cases (unless otherwise stated). Information relating to LOS, including discharge method/destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Medical Records: Databases

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the statement on the What About Youth? website, that approval has been received to use young people's contact details from NHS registration data and the National Pupil Database, when that data were supplied; and on what register the decision to disclose that data was recorded.

Daniel Poulter: On behalf of the Department, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has commissioned the “What about Youth?” trial survey to test the processes and methodology. It was carried out by Ipsos Mori and ran from November 2013 to February 2014. The trial survey was posted to just under 7,000 younger people using information obtained from the Medical Research Information Service Integrated Database and Administration System, approval for which was obtained on 15 August 2013 via the HSCIC Data Linkage and Extract Services application process:
	http://www.hscic.gov.uk/dlesaac
	The decision to approve the request for provision of an extract will be included in the next Data Release Register due in early July.
	The National Pupil Database (NPD) is a Department for Education resource. HSCIC gained approval to use NPD data by applying via the formal process:
	https://www.gov.uk/national-pupil-database-apply-for-a-data-extract#approval-process
	and received approval to use NPD for the trial survey on 18 March 2014; however, this was too late for the trial and the data were not used. Ipsos Mori was granted access to the extract on 10 April. The decision to approve the request for provision of an extract is shown on row 139 of the “National pupil database: requests received” at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received

Melanotan

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) effect of the sale of the unlicensed drug Melanotan (i) online and (ii) in shops.

Daniel Poulter: There are strict legal controls governing the sale and supply of medicinal products in the United Kingdom.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considers Melanotan products to be medicinal products within the meaning of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and as such, the manufacture, sale and supply are subject to UK regulatory control. No Melanotan product holds a marketing authorisation (product licence) for use in the UK and consequently advertising and sale or supply would be in breach of regulatory requirements.
	The MHRA is aware that Melanotan is being sold through some outlets such as gyms and beauty salons and is available more widely on the Internet through certain websites.
	During the past 12 months, the MHRA has worked with Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad to suspend more than 100 websites illegally trading in Melanotan.
	The MHRA issues regular warnings to the public about the dangers involved in the use of unlicensed medicines, including Melanotan and officials have participated in Press campaigns and specific media coverage of the problem.
	As of 12 June 2014, the MHRA has received a total of 22 reports of Adverse Drug Reactions associated with the use of Melanotan (product names Melanotan I, Melanotan II and Ubertan), describing a total of 93 adverse reactions. However, it is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on procuring the vaccine for Meningitis B as part of the primary infant immunisation schedule; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Work is nearing completion to gain approvals to commence the procurement. The Department and Public Health England will start negotiations with Novartis, which produces the only licensed Meningitis B vaccine, as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 572W, on mental health services: children, when he expects NHS England's review of Tier 4 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to be published.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 460W, on mental health services: young people, when NHS England's review of Tier 4 Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services provision will be published.

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton), on 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 57W.

NHS: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much NHS trusts have spent (a) on agency and contract staff and (b) on all staff in each financial year since 2009-10;
	(2)  how much NHS trusts (a) planned to spend and (b) spent on agency and contract staff in 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the response to the issues in Mid-Staffordshire hospital, and following the recommendations of the Francis report, many trusts have increased agency spend in the short-term to protect patients and improve patient care. Over the longer term, a key objective for the NHS is to keep agency spend to a minimum, an increase in the number of permanent front-line staff is vital to both improving patient care and delivering value for money. The number of front-line clinical staff has increased by more than 16,300 since 2010.
	In 2013-14, NHS foundation trusts planned to spend £523 million on agency and contract staff and spent £1,373.0 million. NHS trusts spent £1,209.1 million; how much they planned to spend is not available.
	Sources:
	For NHS trusts—unaudited data in NHS trust summarisation schedules; for NHS foundation trusts—quarterly monitoring information.
	Plans are in place in Better Procurement to reduce by £450 million spend on agency and contract staff by the end of 2016.
	NHS Trusts spent £1,209.1 million on agency and contract staff in 2013-14.
	Source:
	Unaudited data in NHS Trust Summarisation Schedules.
	Amounts for 2009-10 to 2012-13 were not separately identified from other non-permanent staff.
	Spend by NHS Foundation Trusts on agency and contract staff is in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 764.1 
			 2010-11 854.7 
			 2011-12 907.0 
			 2012-13 1,101.0 
			 2013-14 1,373.0 
			 Note: For 2009-10 to 2012-13 actual figures are based on gross staff costs as per notes in the NHS FT consolidated accounts. The figures from the consolidated accounts may differ to the Board reports due to adjustments made on redundancy, early retirement, capitalisation of staff costs and costs of R&D staff. 2013-14 figures are from quarterly monitoring information. 
		
	
	Information available about spend on all staff is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			 NHS Trusts 
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 18,225.1 
			 2010-11 18,929.5 
			 2011-12 19,839.5 
			 2012-13 19,344.7 
			 Note: Total staff costs for 2013-14 are not yet available. Source: NHS (England) Summarised Accounts 2009-10, 2010-11; NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules 2011-12, 2012-13. 
		
	
	
		
			 NHS Foundation Trusts 
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 17,599.7 
			 2010-11 19,442.9 
			 2011-12 23,046.0 
			 2012-13 24,709.0 
			 2013-14 26,246.0 
			 Note: For 2009-10 to 2012-13 actual figures are based on gross staff costs as per notes in the NHS FT consolidated accounts. The figures from the consolidated accounts may differ from the Board reports due to adjustments made on redundancy, early retirement, capitalisation of staff costs and costs of R&D staff. 2013-14 figures are from quarterly monitoring information.

Organs: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West are registered organ donors.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Proportion of people in Pendle constituency, East Lancashire and the North West who are registered organ donors as at 10 June 2014 
			 Area Number on the Organ Donor Register Population estimate1 Percentage on the Organ Donor Register 
			 Pendle constituency 22,071 89,613 24.6 
			 East Lancashire2 137,865 530,605 26.0 
			 North West3 2,083,446 7,084,337 29.4 
			 1Source: Office for National Statistics mid-2012 population estimates. 2 East Lancashire comprising the districts of Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. 3This comprises: Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bury, Central and Eastern Cheshi, Cumbria, East Lancashire, Halton and St Helens, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Knowsley, Liverpool, Manchester, North Lancashire, Oldham, Salford, Sefton, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop, Trafford, Warrington, Western Cheshire, Wirral. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant.

Out of Area Treatment: Wales

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women living in England but registered with GPs in Wales have the option of a nuchal translucency scan as part of their antenatal care.

Daniel Poulter: Nuchal translucency scans are offered to pregnant women as part of the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening programme (NHS FASP). This is a public health function of the Secretary of State which, through an arrangement under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006, is exercised by NHS England.
	NHS England has confirmed that women living in England and registered with a GP in contract with the Welsh NHS who opt to give birth in an English hospital are offered nuchal translucency scans, in line with NHS FASP's 2011-14 Model of Best Practice. I understand that nuchal transparency scans are not currently routinely offered by the Welsh NHS.
	As part of its review of the protocol for cross-border health care, NHS England is giving consideration to a number of issues, including this one.

Out of Area Treatment: Wales

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that people living in England but registered with GPs in Wales have full access to services provided by NHS England.

Jane Ellison: The Department has asked NHS England to work with the Welsh Government to review the protocol for cross-border health care. NHS England aims to complete that work by the end of this calendar year.

Parkinson's Disease

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to prevent unnecessary delays in the prescription of Duodopa for people with Parkinson’s;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to improve patient choice and reduce avoidable harm for people with advanced Parkinson’s.

Norman Lamb: From April 2013, NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with some being the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.
	NHS England has advised that it does not routinely fund Duodopa (co-careldopa) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Clinicians can submit individual funding requests for this treatment on behalf of their patients as per NHS England’s individual funding requests standard operating procedure, which is found at the following link:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-04.pdf
	NHS England has advised that its individual funding request process is monitored against the standard operating procedure to ensure that referring clinicians are informed of outcomes in a timely manner.
	Treatments for Parkinson’s are largely drug-based and there is a choice of therapies available. “Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care”, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2006, makes it clear that communication with people with Parkinson’s disease should be aimed towards empowering them to participate in the judgments and choices about their own care. With regard to decisions about the drugs available for treatment of the disease in its later stages, the guidance states that the patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short- and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available.
	To reduce avoidable harm, through the mandate, we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress by 2015 to embed a culture of patient safety in the NHS including through improved reporting of incidents. The NHS Outcomes Framework contains a range of indicators designed to measure progress in this area of care which will be relevant to patients with all conditions, including, Parkinson’s disease.

Prisoners: HIV Infection

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of HIV were reported in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last four years.

Jane Ellison: The following table provides information on the number of adults (aged 15 and above) identified as being resident in prison at the time they received human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment from specialist services. The source of the data provided is the Survey of Prevalent HIV Infection.
	
		
			  Number of prisoners 
			 2009 184 
			 2010 176 
			 2011 190 
			 2012 181 
			 Notes: 1. Prisoners were identified if an adult's residential postcode was a prison postcode. However, the completeness and accuracy depends on clinicians' reports. Although completeness of full postcode is high (>90%) in each of these four years, it is still possible that partial postcode, missing postcode or clinic postcode instead of residential postcode was provided. This may lead to an underestimate of numbers in the table. 2. Data on patients (including prisoners) seen for care at non-national health service funded services are not included. 3. Prisoners with a short sentence might be seen for care after release and therefore are not captured in this table. 
		
	
	Recording of prison status is not routine and numbers are likely to be under-reported. The data do not imply that transmission of infection happened while the person was in prison or that the diagnosis was made during the period of incarceration.
	Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset data show that the number of new HIV infections diagnosed in serving prisoners in England in 2011 was nine and in 2012 was 17.

Prisoners: Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidences of sexually transmitted diseases were reported in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last four years.

Jane Ellison: Data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are now sourced from the Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset, Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) services return. Data from GUM clinics on prisoners are unavailable prior to 2011.
	For the most recent two years for which data are available, the following table shows all new STI diagnoses among prisoners in England. Data from Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset relate only to GUM services which are located in England.
	
		
			 Number 
			  20111 20122 
			 Chlamydia (GUM clinic diagnoses only, all ages) 97 155 
			 Gonorrhoea 11 19 
			 Herpes: anogenital herpes (1st episode) 11 8 
			 Syphilis: primary, secondary and early latent <5 6 
			 Warts: anogenital warts (1st episode) 226 380 
			 All new STIs3 495 773 
		
	
	
		
			 HIV diagnoses 9 17 
			 1 Data on prisoners are significantly under-reported in 2011. 2 2012 data for chlamydia and all new STIs are not comparable to data from previous years. 3 All new STIs include new HIV infections diagnosed when a person was a prisoner, explained further at point 4 of the explanatory notes for table one. Notes: 1. Data follow calendar years (January to December), not financial years (April to March). 2. Data represent the number of diagnoses reported and not the number of people diagnosed. 3. 2012 data for chlamydia and "All new STIs" are not comparable to data from previous years. Chlamydia diagnoses made among prisoners in GUM clinics that were reported as "previously diagnosed at another service" have been excluded from 2012 data only. 4. Data for "All New STIs" include: chancroid; lymphogranuloma venerum (LGV); donovanosis; chlamydia; gonorrhoea; herpes: anogenital herpes (1st episode); HIV: new diagnosis; molluscum contagiosum; non-specific genital infection; pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and epididymitis: non-specific; scabies; pediculus pubis; syphilis: primary, secondary and early latent; trichomoniasis and warts: anogenital warts (1st episode). 5. Data on prisoners are significantly under-reported in 2011 due to the phased introduction of Sexual Health and HIV Activity Property Types (SHHAPT) STI surveillance codes. 6. Number of diagnoses between 1 and 4 with a population <10,000 are presented as ‘<5' to prevent deductive disclosure. Please see link for further details on data sharing and confidentiality: www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1247816526850 
		
	
	The following table also contains the number of chlamydia diagnoses among prisoners aged 15 to 24 years in England for 2009-11. Data are sourced from the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). Data from NCSP relate only to NCSP services which are located in England.
	
		
			 Number 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Chlamydia (NCSP diagnoses outside GUM clinics, 15 to 24 years only) 1,179 1,292 1,209 n/a 
			 Notes: 1. Chlamydia data from community services are sourced from the National Chlamydia Screening Programme for 2009-11 only. Since 2012, this data source has been replaced by a new laboratory reporting system (CTAD) that does not indicate diagnoses made among prisoners. 2. Data follow calendar years (January to December), not financial years (April to March). 3. Data represent the number of diagnoses reported and not the number of people diagnosed. 4. Data include chlamydia diagnoses from people aged 15 to 24 only.

Radioactive Waste: Fife

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reason is for the time taken for his Department to publish COMPARE’s report on radium contamination at Dalgety Bay.

Jane Ellison: The Department has been engaged with the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment throughout the production of its report on Dalgety Bay, and our priority throughout has been to make sure that it is comprehensive, accurate and up to date.
	During this process, information was provided to the committee for due consideration prior to final publication.

Respite Care: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve respite care provisions in Pendle constituency.

Norman Lamb: We have provided £400 million to the national health service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities.
	In the 2013 spending review, we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 million funding for carers’ breaks for 2015-16.
	In 2015-16, East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group will receive £8.1 million from the Better Care Fund.

Staff

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many roles exist within the Economic Regulation Unit in his Department; what the job title is of each such role; and what the salary level is of each such role.

Daniel Poulter: There are 12 posts within the Economic Regulation Unit (ERU) at the Department. ERU comprises a deputy director, four senior policy advisers, two policy advisers, one policy officer, three policy support officers and a junior analyst.
	The pay bands represented are one SCS1, four grade 7s, two senior executive officers, one higher executive officer, three executive officers and a fast streamer.
	Salary ranges for the posts within the ERU are as follows:
	
		
			 Department of Health pay scales: London-based posts as of 1 April 2014 
			 £ 
			   Minimum Maximum 
			 SCS1 Deputy Director 62,000 117,800 
			 Grade 7 Senior Policy Advisers 48,799 61,976 
			 Senior Executive Officer Policy Advisers 37,175 45,769 
			 Higher Executive Officer Policy Officer 29,992 37,316 
			 Executive Officer Policy Support Officer 24,938 30,275 
			 Fast Streamer Junior Analyst 29,992 41,546

Tobacco: Packaging

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he plans to publish the consultation referred to by the Minister of State for Health in his Department's announcement entitled “Government Response to Tobacco Standardised Packaging Review”, published in April 2014.

Jane Ellison: The consultation could not be published in the period leading up to the European and local elections. It is now being finalised and will be published shortly.

Tomography

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made for the use of non-NHS facilities for MRI scans where the patient's weight precludes the use of an NHS-standard scanner.

Jane Ellison: Arrangements for deciding the most appropriate way for individual patients to access NHS services based on their clinical needs is for local determination.